Striking
by Said the Silence
Summary: Life was routine for Eve, Victor Von Doom's "Technology & Research Adviser," but a trip and an accident could force her life to change dramatically. [Voltage Saga - Yes, Fantastic 5, No, not a Johnny/OC. This one is a bit different, promise! T to be safe & language]
1. Late Again

**Hey, this is my first F4 story. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter One - Late Again<strong>

At exactly 12:00 am, I added the last letters to my report and saved it on my laptop.

12:02, it was e-mailed.

12:05, it was pulled off the printer, stapled, and shoved into my shoulder bag, along with my computer, for tomorrow. Preparing the day before was a habit I picked up from my mother in elementary school that stuck, but whereas she was just forgetful, I had the tendency to stay up until two or three in the morning then sleep in, causing myself to rush about before leaving the house.

I stood and headed to the door to go out once again, but conquered my urge and returned to the couch. I had already been out earlier that night, and had returned with only a single glass of vodka on the rocks in my system, not my usual intake late on a Wednesday night. Although my outing was brief, I found I already had my fill of social interactions for the day.

Not bothering to change out of the outfit of the night, I wrapped a blanket around myself like a cocoon and pulled out a deck of cards. I had four cards left in my game of solitaire when I gave into exhaustion and fell asleep.

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><p>I awoke on the floor, a queen of diamonds pressed to my cheek. Untangling myself from the mess of cushions, cards, and clothing, I stood and glanced at the clock.<p>

8:37.

I was running late once again. I shuffled into the bedroom and changed into more business-appropriate attire: black pants and a ruffled blouse. I brushed my teeth quickly, pulled on a pair of black sneakers I hoped my boss wouldn't notice, grabbed my bag, locked the door to my apartment, and walked out into the already bustling streets. I hailed a cab without any more trouble than a few shoulder bumps with passersby, and slid into the back seat.

"Von Doom Industries," I said to the driver, a burly blond whose name – Sean Anderson – was stated boldly on his taxi license. Without a word, he pulled out into New York traffic and began weaving his way to my work.

I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. Three from Tessa, one from a company trying to sell me insurance, and one from Leonard. Leonard was the personal assistant of Victor Von Doom and who Tessa called my "sensei in the art of Von Dooming." I sighed and called him back.

"Thank God you called! Victor wants you here immediately – he has 23 people for you to check out and is trying to find out why Reed Richards is... oh, never mind! Just get over here quickly, before we're both fired." He hung up before I could get a single word in. So friendly.

I knew these threats were bluffs – if Victor was required to choose his favorite employees, Leonard and I would be at the top of the list, along with his Director of Genetic Research and reluctant girlfriend, Susan Storm, and possibly Jessica Lowell, the front lobby secretary who is known to be any guy's second choice. Leonard he liked because he was his assistant, which translates into "well-paid slave." I, on the other hand, was his personal source of information. Having the ability to access nearly every mainframe on the earth had come in handy during the job application.

Sean Anderson pulled the taxi up to the curb and turned around in his seat to face me. "We're here," he said with a smile, but was greeted with cash in his face as I jumped out of the cab. I closed the door and jogged right past the giant statue of my boss that was receiving the finishing touches and into the giant building.

I passed Jessica, who winked at me and nodded toward a bunch of fresh-out-of-collage jocks looking for a high-paying job in the wrong place. I knew she wanted me to freak them out, but I also knew security would highly enjoy shocking me with their TASERs. So I just shook my head and headed for the elevator. As the doors chimed open, I could hear Jessica winning over the guys with her charm.

On the third floor, a new intern I hadn't seen before and Lily O'Dowen, one of Victor's mousy scientists joined me in the elevator. The intern was listening to his iPod very loudly, and Lily kept glancing over at him nervously, as if his choice of music would get her fired. When we reached the floor that housed Victor's office, I stepped off the elevator and glanced at the intern's ID badge.

Micheal Harley would receive a nasty shock when he got to his workplace later that day.

That was my job. Digging up dirt about Victor's enemies, employees, and even friends. I knew everyone who worked in the building for more than three months. The more I learned about people, the more Victor forgave my shortcomings – like the fact that I was late nearly every day. Or the fact that I was naturally unsociable.

I walked briskly down the hall and into the office. Victor was there, standing by the giant window overlooking the statue and the entrance to the building, with Leonard standing behind him with his phone in one hand and PDA in the other.

"-we can schedule the Time magazine photo shoot for Sunday and push back your conference with – Miss Reyes! There you are!"

"Hi," I said, once again overwhelmed by the assistant's overbearing height. I was short, only two inches over five feet, and he was taller than Victor, who stands at 6'2''.

"Leonard, please leave Evonna and I alone for a minute."

"I will be right outside if you need me."

Once the door closed, I exhaled slightly. Leonard always seemed jumpy to me. I set my bag on the desk and pulled out my laptop. "What do you want?" I asked.

"Always so blunt," said Victor, turning to face me. Some women might have found his chiseled face, perfect black hair, and green eyes attractive, but I knew underneath it all was only pure narcissism and ambition. He moved to sit behind his desk and leaned forward, his chin in his hand. "Reed Richards is at NASA. I want to know why.

"He always has the most profitable ideas, and would earn more money than me if he could ever grow a spine. He probably needs funding for some grand project, and NASA might just give it to him." He sighed, then looked at me. "Find out what he is doing there."

I rolled my eyes, opened up my e-mail, and wrote one to a guy at NASA I had befriended over virus-removal tactics in collage. Too easy. Within three minutes, I had a reply. "That was easier than you made it sound. He's there to get funding to go to their space station and study some cosmic cloud or other. He's put together a convincing case, apparently. Holographs and everything."

Victor's eyes lit up like a kid at a candy store.

He picked up the phone and pressed a button. "Leonard, call the NASA director and put him on the line. He owes me a favor," he said, winking at me.


	2. Just Business

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Eve, Tessa, Jessica, and the other original characters.**

**Enjoy! (and R&R please!)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two - Just Business<strong>

"Why are you wearing sneakers?"

Leonard stood in front of me, scrutinizing my outfit.

"I was running late," I said, trying to move backwards without him noticing. "Don't you need to go and polish Victor's ego or something?"

He scoffed at me, but backed off. I was standing in the office he and I shared adjacent to Victor's, trying to set up my desk. Settling into my chair, I pulled the report out of my bag and tossed it to Leonard. "Hard copy," I said, before turning to the screen on my laptop. In front of me was a list of people I needed to run through the background-check software I wrote back in collage. I typed in the first name – Dr. Wesley Tohns – and glanced out the window.

About an hour ago, Victor had convinced the NASA director to reject Dr. Richards' idea and kick him and his friend Ben Grimm out. Since then, I had been checking up with my allies in other companies with space stations to see if Reed was going to them. So far, there was nothing.

I looked down through the glass and nearly fell out of my seat. Standing in front of the colossal statue of Victor were two men. One was tall, skinny, and dark haired, and the other shorter, huskier, and bald. Reed and Ben.

"Oh, my God," I said.

"What?" asked Leonard, coming up next to me. I pointed.

"Richards and Grimm are _here_."

Leonard sprang into action. He nearly ran to Victor's office, and judging by the lack of yelling and smashing items, our boss was pleased. The door opened and Leonard beckoned me inside. I groaned and entered.

Inside, Victor was smoothing his hair back and looking at himself in a mirror. "Tell Miss Lowell at the front desk to _personally_ escort them to the main conference room," he said calmly. "Get someone to cover for her. Also, alert Susan and Dr. Zawn about these new developments. Tell the good doctor to prepare for a visit to my space station as soon as possible. Have Susan come up to the meeting. Evonna, make sure the conference room has the right equipment to power his presentation, and get the necessary information for the meeting to me before they get up here." He looked up from his reflection. "Well, get going!"

We scurried out of the room. Actually, I scurried, Leonard strode. Within seconds he had his cellphone to his ear, talking to Jessica, most likely. We entered our office, and while he spoke quickly on his phone, I opened by laptop again and did a quick search on Reed. The first thing to come up was the WIRED website with the recap on their new issue. The main article – "Reed Richards Bankrupt."

Not taking the magazine's source for granted, I accessed the Baxter Building's tenant information, which I had been monitoring off and on during my first few months as an employee to "prove my worth," so to speak. Sure enough, Reed was behind on several mortgages.

The next plan of action? Get proof. Jessica had a collection of magazines at her desk, ranging from Time to Playboy. Surely she had the newest WIRED.

I dialed her number and closed up my computer again.

"Hey, Evie, what do you need? The big news is walking through the door."

"Don't call me Evie. Do you have the newest WIRED magazine?" I said, frowning.

"Yeah, you need it?" There was a rustling sound as she dug through the pile on her desk. "Ah, here it is. Oh, _that's_ why. Okay, I'll bring it up with Mr. American Dream and his sidekick, the Big Bad," she said, hanging up. I rolled my eyes and checked in on Victor. He was adjusting his shirt and was about to pull on his jacket.

"What news do you have?" he asked, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles.

"Reed is basically broke. Behind on mortgage, and on the cover of WIRED. Jessica – or Miss Lowell – is bringing it up right now."

"Good, good. Get them settled. I'll be waiting in the conference room," he said, leaving his office. He punched in the security code that allowed him to use the stairs, leaving me behind to use the elevator Jessica, Reed, and Ben were occupying.

I pressed the up button, and the doors slid open to reveal Jessica and the two people who had caused today to become extremely eventful. I slipped in and moved to the back, only to find myself hidden behind Ben Grimm. I mentally cursed the architect who thought it was a good idea to have only one elevator that went past the fourth floor as the doors closed and Jessica smiled at me.

"So, what brings you two to Von Doom Industries today?" asked the blond.

"Business," replied Reed, smiling nervously at her.

"It's always business," I murmured. Of course, Ben heard me.

"And who are you exactly?" he asked, turning to face me. I frowned and crossed my arms.

"Who wants to know?" I asked.

Luckily, the elevator came to a stop, and Jessica led us through the hall and into the giant conference room. She held the door for them, but stopped me.

"Go easy on them. He was just curious."

"Next thing you're going to tell me Jefferey Dahmer was just hungry," I said, glaring at her. She ignored it and smiled.

"Oh, here's your light reading," she said, handing me a People magazine. "It's inside."

I closed the door on her smile, and moved up to where Victor sat, shrouded in darkness. I pulled out the WIRED and handed it to him, then stepped back to face Reed and Ben, who looked awkward standing at the end of the long table.

"Do you need an external power source?" I asked Dr. Richards, eying the metal case in his hand.

He looked down at it, surprised. "Uh, no, just an outlet." I sighed and pointed him in the right direction.

"You do know that's considered an external power source?" I said. They just looked at me. I sighed again.

We were saved by Victor, who said, "Begin."

Reed plugged in, then opened up his case. He pulled out a remote-type thing and powered it on. With a quiet hum, it sprang to life. The solar system hovered over the table. As Dr. Richards began his speech about "a high-energy cosmic storm," I stepped back to the back corner to watch the captivating technology at work.

"My research suggests that exposure to a high-energy cosmic storm borne on solar winds _might_ have triggered the evolution of early planetary life." Reed paused for effect, and I saw Ben glance back at me. I glared at him as his friend continued. "In six weeks, another cloud with the same elemental profile will pass Earth's orbit. A study, conducted in space, could fundamentally advance our knowledge about the structure of the human genome, cure countless diseases, extend human life, give kids a chance to live longer, stronger, healthier-"

"Turn it off. Please." I frowned. Victor wanted Reed to turn off the only thing in the whole presentation that interested me. I could see that Reed was unhappy as well.

"I don't think I've explained my proposal fully-"

"Oh, I think you have. Same old Reed, always stretching, reaching for the stars with the weight of the world on his back. But dreams don't pay the bills, do they?" I smiled at where he was going with this. My smile grew wider as Victor tossed the WIRED magazine across the table so that the headline was visible. Then my smile faded.

Reed was flustered, but he persisted. "You remember, when we were in school," he said, backing up to the other end of the table once more, "we talked about working together. Well, that's what I was about to explain." He pressed a button on his remote, and the solar system was replaced with none other than Von Doom Industries' space station. "The storm is deadly, but the shields on your station's control room are designed to protect any occupants inside."

As Victor lit up the area around him, revealing his face to the visitors, I heard the quiet sound of the door opening. In stepped Susan, looking at Reed with an unreadable expression. "What do they want, exactly?" she whispered.

Victor, in reply to Dr. Richards, unknowingly answered her question. "So it's not just my money you want," he said smoothly. "It's my toys."

A knowing look came over Sue as she figured out what was going on.

Victor smirked, then threw out another bone. "Tell me, if NASA doesn't trust you, then why should I?" It worked. Reed and Ben exchanged a nervous look, losing confidence. Victor stood and laughed. "That's my job, to stay a step ahead. To know what other men don't." At this I frowned and crossed my arms. Although I was grateful he didn't throw my name out like he did his own, I really hated it when he took credit for my work. That's what everyone got when they worked for Victor, though.

Ben wasn't happy either. "I can't take this," he murmured to Reed.

"Ben, this is business," replied the taller of the two. "Just work."

Sue stepped in front of me. "He's right Ben," she said, moving towards them. Both men froze and turned to look at her. "It's just business."

"I think you both know my Director of Genetic Research, Susan Storm," introduced Victor, moving closer.

Ben whispered something to Reed, then smiled warmly at Sue. "Hey, Susie," he said, enveloping her in a hug.

"Hey! Oh, it's so nice to see you." She pulled away. "How's Debbie?"

"Great."

"Great," she said, then turned towards Reed.

One of the greatest minds alive was at a loss for words. "Uh, how have you been?" he finally asked.

Sue smiled tightly at him. "Never better," she said, offering her hand. He took it, and they shook awkwardly.

"This isn't going to be a problem, is it?" asked Victor, smug as ever.

"Oh, not at all."

"No, I-"

"Good." He moved to stand next to Sue. "Then you are just in time to hear the great Reed Richards ask _me_," he said, pausing as if to rub it in more, "for help. You made a lot of folks at MIT feel like a junior high science fair so you'll excuse me if I savor the moment." Victor glanced back at me and smiled like a predator, then turned to face Reed and Ben fully.

Reed looked extremely uncomfortable, but still sounded professional. "You back this mission, and I'll sign over a fair percentage of any applications-"

"The number is 75, and it applications and patents." There it was. The final blow. An act of mercy, on Victor's part. Anyone else, he would have asked for much more. All, if it was an employee. Reed deflated a bit, but Ben was fuming.

"What about his firstborn?" asked the bald man angrily. He looked like he wanted to knock Victor out.

"Ben," said his companion, cautioning him.

Victor just laughed. "Come on. Twenty-five percent of a billion is enough to keep the lights on for a while, isn't it?" My smile returned. "Maybe even pay off your fourth mortgage on the Baxter Building." And it grew. Victor extended his hand. "Deal?" Reed looked conflicted, but when he glanced up at Sue, his face hardened.

"Deal," he said, taking Victor's hand. They shook, and Victor looked like he was squeezing just a bit to hard. Rubbing it in.

They pulled apart, and Victor put an arm around Sue, who looked uncomfortable. "Well then, to our future. Together." He smiled, squeezing Susan's shoulder. "Funny how things work out, isn't it?"

Reed looked at his feet. "Hilarious."

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><p><strong>Review! More soon, promise.<strong>


	3. No Martians

**Chapter 3, as promised. I'm kinda disappointed with how short it is, but I just had to introduce Tess! R&R please!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three - No Martians<strong>

"... I'll have you schedule the launch, so we need to talk about resources, the crew, and expenses soon. We need suits – where's Leonard? We need to check..."

Victor, Susan, and I were talking while Reed shut down his presentation. Actually, Victor was talking, and we were just waiting for him to shut up and dismiss us. Or, at least, I was. I was barely listening, considering I wouldn't even be on the mission.

"... and, of course, fittings for them. Evonna, how's your schedule? Can you get a fitting in next week?"

I was jolted out of my thoughts and openly stared at Victor. "I'm going?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes, you are. We need you for communications and sending the data back here for analysis," said Victor, looking over at Reed and Ben, who were talking to each other as they left for the elevator. "Susan, you can go. I need to talk to Evonna and Leonard about the launch." I looked back and saw Leonard step through the door on the left, while the two men exited through the right one.

Sue glanced at me, then back towards Richards and Grimm. "O... kay" she said, hesitantly following them. The closer she got, the more confident her stride. She smiled at Leonard as he passed her. He glanced back at her and stepped up beside me, smiling.

Victor was walking to stand by his elevated seat, a smug grin on his face. "If Reed's right, this little trip will double our stock offerings."

"And if he's not?" Leonard sounded nervous about putting the whole company on the line for a far-fetched-sounding project.

"Reed's always right." Victor stopped and looked at the right-hand door that closed after Susan. "Good thing he doesn't always know what he's got." He put his hand on his hip and rubbed his chin. "Evonna. Keep an eye on them. Another reason why you are coming with us – you are going to watch them. Keep them occupied, and don't let Reed think he has a chance."

I smiled for real at him. It's cruel, it's mean, but what else am I going to use my knowledge for? Surprise parties?

"Do you want me too..?" I said, gesturing back towards the door.

"Go. Watch them, monitor their e-mail, phone calls, the usual."

"Does that mean I need to come to work?" I couldn't help but feel hopeful.

Victor sighed. "Only if we need you to. Leonard will send you the schedule tomorrow."

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><p>I can always tell when Tessa walks through the door. Everyone in the room turns and stares. Sometimes, a strange smell or sound comes with her, but usually it's what she's wearing. So when the book store's door chime rang and the clerk at the front stopped mid-greeting, I knew my best – and only – friend had arrived.<p>

Sure enough, she dragged a big, purple beanbag (stolen from the kid's section) in front of me and plopped down on it. Her hair was bright magenta and held up in a side ponytail, and she was wearing neon green pants, suspenders, and a pink, fishnet shirt over her snoopy bra. Classy.

"What are you wearing?" I glanced down at her shoes and frowned. "Are those my boots?"

"Yeah, so?" she asked, blowing a bubble with her gum. I sighed and rubbed my forehead, then closed my book and set it down. "Didja get my message? Daddy's gone and hired Loony! At _Stitches_! My baby! Isn't that just _terrible_!"

I stared at her in confusion. _Stitches_ was the art gallery her father owned, I knew that, but I had know idea who "Looney" was. Then it dawned on me: "You mean Alex West? The guy you claimed was your soulmate?"

"Yes! I told you, he's a weird-o! Completely off his rocker, lost his marbles, not a full deck at all! He's dating..." She paused and leaned forward, looking around as if she was worried someone would listen in. I glanced around – we were the only ones in the store at the moment. "_The Plastic._"

"Who?"

"Reagan Dorren, weren't you listening?"

I rolled my eyes and leaned back. "_That_ is the reason I don't talk to people, right there. They're untrustworthy. Unreliable."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"I'm not calling you _specifically_ a liar. I'm just saying that everyone has a secret. No one is who they seem to be on the outside. Ever."

Tessa scoffed at me. "You are _so_ paranoid. God."

I threw the book at her.

"Hey! That hurt!" she cried, rubbing her shoulder. I just glared at her, trying to remember why I asked to meet her here anyway.

"Oh, yeah, Tess, I'm going to space in six weeks."

"SPACE?"

The clerk looked up in shock, dropping the pile of books in his arms. The old lady coming through the door stopped, turned around, and left. I jumped back and promptly fell backwards, the seat landing on its side. Tess stood above me, her hands on her hips and an angry scowl on her face.

"You're going. To space. Without me? How could you!"

I just stared at her. "Wha-"

"No fair! No fair at all! Why do _you_ get to go and meet Martians while _I_ have to stay here on boring ol' Earth with Looney and The Plastic and sewer crocodiles and Britney Spears?"

"Tess, calm down. I'm just going to Victor's space station for a few days. No Martians."

At that, she lightened up. But that's Tessa Marshall – a bundle of moods. "Ooh, Doom's gonna do somthin' with you in space. Ha!" She pointed at me like she had just caught me doing something bad. "Told you he's gonna take over the world. There's probably a super laser or something in the sky, and he's gonna blow up the White House or somethin' with it, betcha anything. Or maybe he's gon-"

"We're going up there with Dr. Reed Richards to study some cosmic cloud that could have been the basis for evolution or something." Tessa just grinned like she had too much sugar.

"You're part of an evil plan! You're part of an evil plan!" she sang, clapping her hands. I glanced over to the clerk, who was looking at us like we were crazy.

"Uh, Tess, we should go-"

"Oh, let's! Go, go, go!"

She skipped out, nearly slamming the door in my face. I sighed, shrugged at the clerk, and followed my crazy friend into the street.

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><p><strong>That, readers, is Tessa Marshall.<strong>

**Quick bio - She's 5'5'' and naturally bony. Her hair is naturally brown and straight, and she has gray-blue eyes. She is an aspiring painter, a free-lance photographer, and helps run _Stitches_, an art gallery, with her father (Louis Marshall). She always wears crazy clothes because she wants to stand out.**

**Character pictures of Eve, Tess, and Jessica are on my profile!**

**Review, or Tess may get you!**


	4. Hangover

**This is where I introduce Eve's nemesis - the hangover! Oh, and Johnny. And we haven't even gotten to space yet!**

**R&R and enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four - Hangover<strong>

The day of the launch, I was late.

I awoke on the floor – a usual occurrence these last few weeks – with a nasty bruise on my knee, a brain-splitting headache, and a soiled dress.

"_Shit_!" I cried, jumping up and whacking my arm on the coffee table. "Shit, shit, shit!" I hobbled to the bathroom and fumbled to turn on the shower. As the steam filled the room, I peeked through the doorway and saw the time.

10:13.

I was supposed to be at the launch site an hour ago.

"Holy shit!" I yanked off the ruined dress and threw it in the trash can, then jumped in the shower. "Shit!" I howled in pain. The burning water pounded painfully on my skin, but as I fumbled to cool the water down, the phone began to ring. The pounding in my head increased, and I let out a groan and pressed my head against the cool tile wall. The ringing ended, and I raced to wash the grime, alcohol, and what smelled suspiciously like vomit off my body.

I turned off the shower and, attempting to ignore my reflection, dried off as well as I could. I half-hopped, half-ran to my bedroom and pulled out sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. Trying to be gentle with my knee, I yanked on the clothes and dug through a pile of laundry for my backpack. When I finally found it, I reluctantly picked up my phone and checked who had called.

"Shit." It was Leonard, three times. I was so screwed.

I called him back and gathered my laptop, snatched a box of granola bars and a bottle of aspirin from the kitchen, and nearly tripped over Tessa. I faintly remembered ending up here with her last night. Her dress was in worse shape than mine, and her turquoise hair was hacked in messy layers on one side. I dropped a few aspirins next to her as I heard Leonard pick up.

"Where are you? You're late! Everyone but Johnny has shown up, but you were supposed to be here early for preparation! What are you doing? Where are you?" Leonard sounded hysterical, but it might have just been my hangover.

"Sorry, I had a rough night. I'm on my way." I really didn't want to argue with Leonard, especially when my head felt like it was about to split open.

"You had better be, or you're fired."

I pressed my fist to my temple as I locked up my apartment and sprinted to the street, stuffing my laptop into the backpack. Unfortunately, I did not own a car, for rational reasons. One, I got drunk a lot, and two, why own a car when I could take a cab? Its New York, for God's sake!

As Fate would have it, not a single taxi was empty, and I was not in the mood for sharing. Anyway, I doubted that anyone else was going to the launch site. I resorted to jogging down the streets, looking for an empty or emptying cab. Three blocks over, I caught one.

Tired, frustrated, late, and hungover, I nearly snarled the address at the driver. I leaned back and rubbed my face. I probably looked vicious, or possibly like I was on drugs. Maybe both. But the driver didn't complain, and I didn't puke or have a breakdown, so the ride itself was uneventful. Of course, until we neared the site.

"The hell..?" said the driver. I looked up and out the windshield, then promptly groaned and put my head in my hands.

Outside, a familiar figure was leaning over the car door of a convertible and kissing the female driver. The one and only Johnny Storm. He pulled away and sped up on his motorcycle, leaving the starstruck woman behind. I pinched the bridge of my nose and leaned back, trying in vain to ignore my headache. It didn't bother me that Johnny was a womanizer. It bothered me that he was obsessed with the spotlight. He was my polar opposite, and although we hadn't formally met, I knew plenty about him.

Susan's younger brother thought that being famous was everything. Getting girls and making money. He chased anything over the age of 16 that wore a skirt. He just made me want to punch him. And kick him. And possibly stab him. Childish, I know, but all I saw in him was a younger, less devious, and blonder version of Victor.

The cab pulled up to the double doors, and I payed the driver and jumped out. It was only after he was speeding off that I realized I never got his name. I _always_ got the driver's name. The headache was messing with my routine.

I almost made it through the doors without freaking out or interacting with anyone. Almost. The moment I decided to enter the building and face Leonard, a hand touched my shoulder. Maybe it was the drinks last night, maybe it was my malfunctioning head. Or maybe I just lost it, the recent events getting to me and making me volatile. But for some reason, my body decided to try and give Johnny Storm a shiner. He moved at the last second, though, and my fist went through air instead.

"Whoa, what was that?" he asked, staring at me. "You look like crap."

"Thanks," I spat, yanking the door open. Now I was angry.

"Rough night, huh? You should really go back to bed."

"Eve! There you are! Oh, and Johnny, you're here. Go on, go on, your equipment is over there." I was never so happy to see Leonard in my life. He practically kicked Johnny into one of the rooms down the hall, then turned to me. "You look terrible. What happened last night? And why is your hair all wet still? And what are you wearing?"

"Because. Now where do I go? And where's the bathroom?"

"The woman's changing room is over there," he said, pointing, " and there is a bathroom inside it. Hurry up, Victor still needs a lot done before the launch,and your _late_. Now, we need -"

I never caught what he was about to say. I was busy running to the changing room and, upon finding the bathroom, locking myself inside. I spent the next few minutes feeling like I was about to hurl. When I finally mustered the will to leave, I came out and found Sue sitting on a chair, adjusting the skin-tight, bright blue suit that Victor designed himself. It was obvious he had modified Sue's because the zipper didn't go very high, exposing more than what should be on a space mission.

"Hey, Eve, how have you been..." Her voice trailed off when she looked up at me. "Wow, what happened to you?"

"Life. Do I really have to wear one of those?" I already knew the answer – the fittings four weeks ago had given me a new meaning of uncomfortable, and I had seen the designs before. Sue smiled and pointed to the closet where my own suit hung. I yanked it out and glared at it. I changed quickly, not wanting to have someone barge in while I was half-naked. Changing in front of Sue was awkward enough, but the bathroom was too small to change in without getting a new bruise. My tender knee had already screamed bloody murder at me when I knelt on the tile floor earlier. At least I was lucky and Victor looked at me as an employee and assistant, not a girlfriend. He let my suit zip up to my neck.

"I'm going to deliver these to the guys – you want to come with?" I looked up to see Sue holding the cover suits. I remembered my assignment, had a mental argument with myself, and gave in.

"Fine," I said, rubbing my head. I had taken some aspirin, but I knew it wouldn't help much. She smiled, and I grimaced back. I followed her out, stopping to pull on the knee-high boots – another thing styled by Victor. Sue's were heeled. We stepped into the changing room just as I heard a voice say, "... but I don't know if I should be flying or doing _Swan Lake_ in these suits. I mean, who the hell came up with these?" I had a déjà vu moment when Sue stepped in and started to speak.

"Victor did. The synthetics act as a second skin, adapting to your body's individual needs." I saw Reed look up and stare at his ex, and Ben watch him with pity in his eyes. Johnny smiled and winked at me, then spoke up.

"See, that means it keeps the hot stuff hot and keeps the cool stuff cool." I ignored him, rubbed my forehead and leaned against the wall, fighting the urge to puke all over the carpet.

"Wow. Fantastic." I glanced over and saw Reed standing in front of Sue, giving her an up-down with his eyes. Then he grabbed the suit Ben was holding and inspected it. "Material made from self-regulating molecules. I've been working on a formula for this."

Sue's smile vanished, Johnny shook his head, and Ben looked down, embarrassed for his friend. I snickered, then groaned and pressed my fists to my head. Johnny looked over at me and grinned, then mouthed, "hangover." I glared at him.

"Great minds think alike," said Sue, giving a professional smile. "Here you go, Ben," she said, handing him a suit.

"Thanks sweetie."

"Reed." He had drifted over to a mirror and was in the process of unbuttoning his shirt when he turned around and caught the suit as Sue threw it at him. He watched her leave with a confused expression. Johnny shook his head again, then turned back around to me.

"Must have been quite a party to show up like that. Victor's gonna fire you the second he sees you. Even _I _wouldn't dare to show up today that messed up."

"He's not gonna fire me."

"You sure about that, sweetheart?" He looked smug.

"I'm gonna punch you."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind."

"I still don't know your name," said Ben, looking over at me expectantly.

"Good," I muttered, wincing as my headache increased.

Reed looked up from his laptop. "I thought I told you. Ben, this is Evonna Reyes. She's Victor's Technology and Research Adviser. She's the last crew member I told you about." He looked over at me. "Evonna, this is Ben Grimm, my-"

"I know who he is," I said, cutting him off. "Don't call me Evonna. Only Victor does."

The two looked taken aback, but Johnny just grinned.

"Can I call you Eve? Great, okay. Eve?" I looked over to glare at him. "Say cheese!"

His camera flashed off, and I stumbled back into the wall and covered my eyes. "_What _the _hell_ was that for?" I roared, stalking up to him. My headache worsened, which only made me angrier. Now all three looked freaked out, but I didn't care. I just wanted the mission to be over. Unfortunately, according to the clock, I had over 15 hours with them.

So I reeled in my anger, turned away from the pains, and went back to the changing room. I took out my laptop, sprawled myself on the floor, and rested with my head on the cold plastic of the keyboard.

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><p><strong>I can't wait until later! So many surprises!<strong>

**Review, please! Love all you readers! Next chapter, coming soon!**


	5. The Cloud

**Another short chapter, sorry! Is Eve's hangover gone? No. Does she wish is was? Uh, yeah.**

**Thank you to all the reviewers and people who Favorited this story and me, or put it/me on your alerts. I love you guys!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Five - The Cloud<strong>

Six hours later, we were on the shuttle, taking off. I gripped the seat until my knuckles were white and clenched my teeth. The sound alone was worsening my headache and making me feel sick. Once we left the atmosphere, though, the ride became smoother, and it took no time docking at the station. Ben and Johnny hauled the big cases of equipment out of the shuttle while Victor helped Sue off. Reed leaned out and handed her a smaller case, before climbing out himself. I unbuckled with shaking hands and stumbled out on my own.

I've always had a problem with flying, and for some reason I thought going into space would be different. It wasn't. Johnny smiled at me and handed me a case as well. I handed it back to him and pulled my toolbox out of the shuttle. "Sorry, have my own," I said, shoving past him.

"E.T.A. until cosmic event, nine hours," said Victor, leading the way. I hovered behind him, Johnny and Ben behind me with the heavy stuff, and Reed and Sue bringing up the rear. After promising Victor I'd not only watch Reed after the mission, but also that I'd work on the computer system while we were in the station, he forgave me for being late.

"If you're good, maybe next time Daddy'll let you drive," said Johnny. I glanced back at him, only to realize he was talking to Ben.

"You keep talking, there won't be a next time," growled the shorter man. I frowned at him as they passed me into the main control room. I lingered by the doorway and saw Reed stop to look out the window. Sue came up behind him and spoke, and he looked at her in surprise.

As Susan walked off, Reed called after her, "Yes, yes it is." She smiled at me and I rolled my eyes, then pressed my fingers to my temple. As everyone else congregated in the control room, I pulled the aspirin bottle out of my pocket and took a few. I was so desperate, I didn't need water. Anything to stop the headache. I was about to leave for the main computer drive, which, according to the blueprints, was under a panel on the floor of one of the halls, when I heard Victor speak.

"What's the matter, Ben? Getting paranoid in your old age?" I glanced inside to see Ben glaring at my boss, while Victor leaned over on the rail overlooking the glass dome bottom, looking smug.

"Let's start loading those samples. Get your suit ready, Ben." Reed was trying to ease the tension, but Victor's grin grew.

As Ben started walking away, Victor spoke again. "So I see you're still doing all the heavy lifting." Ben froze, tensing up. Victor then turned to Reed. "Maybe you should have stayed in the lab. Field work never suited you."

Ben turned around and stalked up to Victor. "He does the talkin'. I do the walkin'. Got it?" He was basically snarling at Victor.

"So take a walk Ben." Grimm looked taken aback, but held his ground. "Actually, if you'll all excuse me, I need to borrow Susan for a moment." Sue looked up, briefly confused.

Ben looked at Reed, who shrugged. "Sure," he said, before following Ben down the hall. I grinned at Sue's naivete. Everyone at Von Doom Industries knew about Victor's plans to propose. Everyone, of course, but her. Johnny patted his sister's shoulder and followed Ben, winking at me. I glanced back into the control room, then headed for the hall.

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><p>I was just finishing the rewiring when I heard the alarms going off. Based on what I had been told, the alarms only went off under two circumstances – one, the station had been attacked, hit, or damaged by something, or two, the station's shields were closing. I stood up, clutching the unattached wires in my hands, and saw the most terrifying and spectacular scene.<p>

Outside, someone in the space suit, who I assumed was Ben, was drifting mid-leap through the air, the cosmic storm chasing after him. It was a beautiful orange, and my first thought was 'I need a picture of that'. Then Ben entered the airlock and I lost sight of him. I was frozen, transfixed, staring out the window for a few seconds. Then all hell broke loose.

Everything was orange and yellow, and it smelled a bit like burning flesh. My skin felt like it was stretched thin over my bones, and my insides felt like I was being shocked by a TASER or struck by lighting. And it _hurt_. My stomach turned upside down, my head pounded even worse, so much so that soon that was all I felt. The constant drumbeat of my head, smashing my skull open. My last conscience thought was 'Oh, shit. There goes this suit."

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><p>I think I was dreaming. It felt real, but it was too strange to be a memory.<p>

Reed, Sue, Johnny, Ben, and Victor were all playing poker with me at an empty casino. The dealer was Leonard, but he was dressed like a guy in _Star Trek_. I was losing badly, but I had a perfect hand, and was about to win when, for some reason, Johnny collected, claiming he won.

I tried to complain to Leonard, but my voice wasn't working. I watched as my rightful winnings were taken. Victor then stole the last of Reed's chips, and Sue willingly split hers between her brother and boss. Then Victor snatched mine, and I couldn't take them back. They all left me there, even Leonard, and I tried to scream, move, do anything. But I was trapped, silent and sitting. All alone.

Then Tessa was there, grinning at me. "Oh, bad luck." she said, playing with the cards. "You know, you should stand up for yourself. Take it all back. Take a leap! Give someone advice, and fight for who you are. Don't be a baby – grow up! There are some things you can't change, but there are some you can." She took my hand and opened it, dropping three poker chips into it. "There you go!" She smiled, closing my hand into a fist. "Just don't lose them," she said, fading away.

I had the strangest sensation of calmness as I drifted off into the darkness.

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><p><strong>Reviews are super awesome!<strong>


	6. Oh, Joy

**Happy April Fools Day! I'm going to post 2 chapters today! Yay!**

**Chapter 6! Enjoy, and R&R!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Six - Oh, Joy<strong>

For the second time in a row, I woke up with a pounding head. But this time, it was not the consequence of too many drinks. I groaned as I remembered the cosmic storm and the crazy dream after it. The dream felt real and reality felt like a dream. I rubbed my face and sat up.

I was in a room that looked like a cross between a fancy vacation cabin and a hospital. The room was bare other than the bed, a side table, which had a lamp and a call button, it looked like, and the computers. There was all sorts of equipment monitoring things like my heart rate and body temperature. I looked down at myself and found that I was wearing a white t-shirt and some gray sweatpants, sensors attached to my skin.

The door opened, and in stepped a man wearing a lab coat. Wonderful. "You're awake. Great!"

"Where am I?"

"Von Doom Industries' Medical Facility in Switzerland. You are in quarantine for the time being, but tomorrow everyone should be cleared."

I slid out of the bed and stretched my sore muscles. I felt thinner, and extremely hungry. "How long was I out?"

"Three days, technically. Yesterday you woke up incoherent, and we had to sedate you. You're the third to wake – Mr. Grimm and Ms. Storm are still asleep."

I felt weird, like I was floating. "Where can I get some food?"

"There is a buffet down the hall to the right. Just get whatever you want, but return the plates, glasses, and utensils when you are done." He smiled at me as he professionally pulled off the sensors, then stepped aside and allowed me to and run past him, nearly crashing into Johnny.

"Hey, you're awake! Is Ben?"

"No," I said, shoving past him. I heard him cackle evilly as I stepped into the buffet. Outside, I could see what looked like a garden with a patio, and the Alps rising above it, filling the horizon. I snatched a plate and filled it with starchy things such as potatoes and bread. That was what I was craving – starch. It was weird, and I could see some of the staff looking at me funny.

I was about to go outside when I noticed the TV in the corner. "Hey, can you turn that on?" I said to a young staff member. She vanished behind a counter and came back with the remote. She handed it to me, and I thanked her and flipped on the television. It was on the news, and to my surprise, Victor was on the screen, walking to the door of what I assumed was the Medical Facility. Reporters were chasing him, and Leonard was trying to wave the bulk of them off in the corner of the screen. Security was pushing them back, but Victor was still answering questions.

"You've been charged with moving science a little too fast."

"By whom, my competitors?" Victor was still smooth, even after a knock to the head, according to the staples next to his eye. "Danger has always been a part of this."

"What about your sudden stock drop?"

"No comment." For the first time, my boss was running from the press. I really needed my laptop.

I watched as Victor vanished into the building and the news change to the weather, which was in the language of Swiss German, and of no help to me. I turned off the television, inhaled the rest of my food, returned the plate and fork, and headed off through the halls. Eventually, I heard the familiar voice of Leonard through a door, and knocked.

"Enter," said Victor. I went through the door and saw Victor smoothing out his hair. "Evonna, you're awake. Great. I'm about to visit the bank, and I need you to watch Reed and Ben until you all are cleared from quarantine. Leonard has your laptop, cellphone, and change of clothes. I'm counting on you." I was taken aback. That was the first time I ever heard Victor admit he needed me. For real, at least. Something changed him a bit on that trip.

"Okay..?" I said, accepting my things from Leonard. I was about to walk out the door when I turned and smiled genuinely, for the first time to Victor, and said, "Good luck."

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><p>In the garden, I found Sue sitting in one of the modern, white chairs, reading a newspaper. The headline - "Von Doom Disaster Causes Stock Collapse". Yes, it was in English. It was the New York Times. "Hey, there you are. How are you?"<p>

"Fine," I said, sitting down and opening up my laptop. Through the glass doors, I could see someone in a red sweater and carrying a snowboard snatch something from the buffet before leaving. It was Johnny. Of course. I looked over at Sue, who was peeking over her newspaper up at the balcony. Up there stood Reed and Ben, deep in conversation.

I looked back down at my laptop and pulled up the internet. Immediately, I was bombarded with alerts for the stock, the news, scheduled events, and new e-mails. Soon, I was wading through spam and news updates. When I finally sorted out the important stuff, I looked up to find Ben standing over me.

"Hey, Sue, you want to come have a few drinks with me?" he asked, ignoring me completely. I realized that the sun was much lower than I thought it was. It had taken longer than I expected to catch up on three days' worth of information.

"Sure, Ben. Oh," she said, looking over at me, "can Eve come?"

Both Ben and I opened our mouths to protest, but shut them quickly. Sue was looking at Ben accusingly, but I had noticed Reed entering the buffet. I glanced over at Ben, and raised an eyebrow in question. He subtly nodded to Sue, and I understood. He was trying to get them back together. I was supposed to make sure Reed thought he had no chance, but based on the way he'd been acting around Sue before, he already thought that. Still, I wanted no part of it. I didn't particularly like Ben.

"No, that's okay. I've gotta call my friend anyway – she's probably worried sick." I picked up my phone and found I had over thirty messages. I showed it to her as further evidence.

"Oh, that's too bad," said, Ben, helping Sue to her feet.

"See you later, Eve!" called Susan as she followed Ben inside. I rolled my eyes and dialed Tessa's number. On the first ring, she picked up.

"WHAT THE HELL!" screamed Tess through the phone, making me jump and pull it away from my ear. I waited three seconds, then put it back to my ear. "- and Daddy thinks I should get therapy and that's no good! You know how therapist is spelled? T-H-E-R-A-P-I-S-T! You know what else that spells? The rapist! And all of this is because you _died_ on that _stupid _mission and now Doom and Sensei are covering it up with some _dumb_ story that you're in quarantine!" She paused, panting. Then: "So, how's Hell? Or am I wrong, and you went to Heaven? Are there any hot guys?"

"Tess! I'm fine. I'm alive! Victor wasn't covering anything up. He was telling the truth. I'm in Switzerland at his Medical Facility."

"Oh." I heard the muffled sounds of yelling, then, "That last question still stands, though."

"What did you say about therapy? Why does your Dad want you to go to therapy?"

"I, uh, might have _allegedly _set Barbie's car on fire. While she was inside."

"Tess-"

"She survived! She didn't even get burned! Her hair was singed, that's all, I swear!"

"Tess! Look, I'm coming back tomorrow. If she sues, call Von Doom Industries and ask for Jessica Lowell – she knows a great lawyer named..," I paused, thinking hard. "Gerald something. Gerald... O'Donnell. Tell her you're Eve's friend."

"Thanks, Evie. You're super awesome."

"Yes I am."

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><p>It was dusk when I walked into the buffet and found Reed and Sue staring at each other in shock. I opened my mouth to say something, but, of course, the door flew open, and Johnny, wearing nothing but a pink parka wrapped around his waist, covering areas that should not be exposed in public, ran in.<p>

"Hey! You guys – Hey. You are _never_ gonna believe what just happened to me." We all looked at him like he was crazy. "What?" He looked down at himself, then back up at us. "Oh. Well, I can explain this," he said, holding up his hand to keep us from jumping to conclusions. It was too late for that, of course. He took a few deep breaths and began his story, waving his hands around as he did so. "So this _hot_ nurse and I were going down the mountain, right? And I started going really fast, when I suddenly was on fire! Like, flames were coming out of my coat, and I was trying to put them out when I fell down the drop, you know, over the glacier? And suddenly, I was on fire, like, completely, and I landed in the snow, and it became kinda a hot tub. It was _awesome_!"

We all stared at him for a second, then Reed jumped up and hurried past Johnny, who looked so excited I was worried for his health. Sue ran after him, with Johnny following, snapping his fingers with a look of concentration. I trailed after them. This could get interesting. "Hey, guys, what's going on?" asked Johnny.

"Reed just caught a wine bottle that was a few feet away from his arm – his arm stretched to catch it, and I was invisible." Sue shook her head and went through a set of double doors leading to the rooms. "It has to be the cloud. It's fundamentally altered our D.N.A." She looked over at Reed.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," he said. Johnny stopped walking, and I nearly walked right into him. "We need a massive amount of evidence before making that leap." Johnny snapped his fingers, and a tongue of flame erupted from his thumb. A staff member stared at him as she exited the hall.

"Whoa, guys, look!" he cried. Reed and Sue span around and Johnny shuffled over to them, me right behind him. They stared in shock as Johnny turned the flame on and off by snapping his fingers. "Now, picture that," said the blond, gesturing to his body, "but _everywhere!_" He pulled the parka up and said, "It was everywhere! What?" He seemed on the point of hysteria.

Sue looked at Reed, who sighed and said, "The cloud has fundamentally altered our D.N.A." I closed my eyes and groaned out loud.

Johnny cackled and shouted, "Cool!" Reed lead us down the hall, and I followed him and Sue. "And you know what, guys? I think I was flying." He chased after us, getting strange looks from everyone else.

"We need to find Ben," said Reed, practically running towards the dorms. Johnny kept playing with the fire, snapping it on and off.

"Cut it out, Johnny," said Sue. He ignored her. We got to the hall and Reed ran to the door and looked inside. I lingered behind Johnny, watching.

"I said cut it out, Johnny."

"Still getting the hang of it."

Reed pounded on the door. "Hey, Ben! It's Reed!"

Sue turned around to glare at Johnny. "Stop."

"All right."

"All right?"

"Yes!"

"God!"

"God!"

"What's wrong with you?"

"What?"

Reed interrupted their sibling fight. "Sue, do you know the code?" She rushed to the keypad and began punching in numbers. I could hear Ben groaning through the door, and was all for leaving him there before he emptied his stomach on all of us. I moved closer and heard the beeping of the machines get faster every second. Then I heard a snap and crash. Everyone rushed to the door, Reed and Johnny calling for Ben to open up. Sue worked more on the keypad, Reed called inside, asking if Ben's alright, and Johnny yelled down the hall, asking for keys to the door. I was about to sneak away and escape this madness when Reed knelt and placed his hand on the ground. We all stopped and watched as his hand flattened underneath the door, then came up on the other side and fumbled up for the lock. With a click, the door unlocked, and Reed pulled his hand back underneath.

We all stared at him for a second, then Johnny said, "That's gross." I nodded in agreement, but then there was a crash inside Ben's room. Reed burst inside, and we all stared at the wreckage. His bed was toast, and the wall was busted open.

"Ben?" called Reed, which was pointless.

Then Johnny pointed through the hole. "Look! Look, look, look, look!" We all moved forward and saw some sort of orange creature running through the trees. "What is that thing?"

"What's going on?" Sue, Reed, and I span around to face Victor, who was observing the damage with cold eyes. "What happened here?"

"Victor! Are you feeling all right?" asked Sue, coming closer.

"I'm fine. Just a few scrapes, that's all," he said, waving her concern off.

Reed looked freaked out. "Ben did this. He's had some kind of... reaction to exposure from the cloud."

Sue turned back to Victor. "We all have, um, different symptoms."

Victor glanced over at me. "Symptoms?"

"Victor, um, I should have-" began Sue, but Victor cut her off.

"Just find him." He walked out the door and I chased after him. He looked over at me, frowning. "Evonna, have you had-"

"No, I'm fine. Do you want me to..."

Victor glanced back at Sue and Reed, who were looking around the room awkwardly. "Do your job, and keep me posted," he instructed, walking away. I came back inside and saw Johnny leaning on the wall, looking out where Ben had vanished.

"Anybody got any ideas where the big guy's going?" he asked.

Reed looked down and spotted a picture on the ground. I came closer and saw it was of Ben and his fiancé, Debra Lucas. Reed sighed and said, "He's going home."

"Uh, I have a question." Everyone looked up at me, and really looked, not just glancing over. They seemed to realize I was there for the first time. "If Ben is really that rocky thing out there," I said, gesturing outside, "then how is he gonna get back to New York?" They all looked at each other like that question had never occurred to them.

"We need to get to New York, and fast," said Reed, the wheels in his head turning. Then I realized what that would mean. Flying in a little tin can of death over the ocean.

Oh, joy.

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><p><strong>The longest chapter yet!<strong>

**Next chapter, you find out her power!**

**People who review can buy themselves ice cream! :)**


	7. Rescue and Outburst

**Eve gets her powers! Yay!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven - Rescue and Outburst<strong>

The next morning, I stumbled out of the airport and ignored Johnny's laughter on my part.

"How are you scared of flying? Seriously?" he laughed.

"Shut up," I growled. Reed ran out and grabbed a taxi as it pulled away. The very little luggage we had we left in Switzerland with the promise it would be sent over as soon as possible. We took the first flight – which ended up being seven hours long, or all night. I didn't sleep once the whole trip. I just sat there, gripping my seat and praying to every god I could think of to keep the plane from crashing.

Everyone climbed in the cab before realizing there was no room for me. I just rolled my eyes, pulled myself together, and slid into the passenger seat. Over the seven hours, Reed and Sue came up with a list of places Ben would go. Before we had exited the airport, we had called Debra and in the short conversation, Reed figured out Ben had already met her and he was "a monster" and that we should "avoid him at all costs". The next place on the list was Reed's place.

"The Baxter Building, please," said Reed to the driver. I made a point to read his name – Donald Reilly. We sat in silence as Donald weaved his was through New York traffic. As we went down the Brooklyn Bridge, suddenly traffic stopped. Horns honked, and I could see a jumble of cars smashed up ahead. There was a huge wreck. We clambered out of the taxi and heard people screaming and shouting up ahead. Then the police arrived – in record time, to me – and began pushing back the people who were trapped on the bridge.

I had a glimpse of a rocky orange hand, and pointed it out to Reed. "Ben," he murmured. We were at the edge of the crowd, and couldn't get through very far.

"What are we gonna do now?" asked Sue.

"We're not gonna get past these guys," said Reed, waving his hand towards the police officers. "But you could." I put my hands in my head and backed away a bit.

Sue looked down at herself, then back up at Reed. "Fine," she said, closing her eyes, and quickly, she faded away. Well, everything but her clothes.

"Sue, your clothes. Lose them," whispered Reed. Everyone around was staring, and I backed a few more steps away. It was getting awkward.

"Oh. Right."

"This is so wrong," said Johnny, looking away. Sue began stripping, and got down to her bra and underwear when she reappeared.

People gasped, and Sue asked, "What?" She looked down at herself and gasped, trying to cover up. "Oh!"

"Wow," said Reed. "You've been working out."

"Shut up!"

The guy standing next to me looked at me, then looked at them. "Hey, I saw you! Aren't you with-"

"I don't know those people," I said, moving away.

Sue grabbed her jacket and wrapped it around herself. "Any more great ideas? Why don't _you_ strip down and have 100 people stare at you?" she spat at Reed. She vanished again, and Reed said her name. "What?" she asked again. Johnny looked back as she dropped the jacket and finished stripping.

"I'm gonna need therapy," he said, looking away again.

Reed looked around and said, "Come on. Let's get out of here." Johnny bent down and scooped up his sister's clothes before following Reed.

I heard Sue's voice say, "Excuse me, coming through," and saw the crowd spit apart and stare at the empty space in shock. I followed Reed and Johnny at a distance, praying that no one else noticed me. As we neared the wreck, a shot went off, and saw the giant, orange creature running behind an empty car. Then I heard sirens, and saw a fire truck headed towards us. We made it past the line of police and hid behind a crushed truck. Sue pulled her clothes back on and reappeared.

"I still can't believe you made me do that," she grumbled.

"We got through, didn't we? Just find Ben," said Reed, running off and weaving his way through the cars. Johnny and Sue followed behind him, but I stayed back. I had a really bad feeling that something was going to happen. Something bad. Then Sue climbed on top of a taxi and began shouting for Ben. Out from behind a truck came rocky Ben, and we could see him close up. He was huge, and seemed to be made of rock completely. Sue gasped, and I saw Reed stop in his tracks.

Then I heard the sound of a girl yelling for her mom, and all I saw was a flash and Johnny jumping over to the girl before the cars next to her exploded. I moved back and saw glimpses of rock dodging flying cars, and Johnny's jacket getting enveloped by the flames. The cars flew up right in front of the fire truck, and the driver swerved to dodge them. Then the back of the truck smashed through the side of the bridge and began skidding, halfway on the bridge.

The cars exploded again, and out of Sue came a bluish force-field of sorts. It enveloped the explosion and protected the people around from the fire and debris. Then Sue seemed to push the fire away with the field, grunting, and swayed on her feet. I rushed forward and saw Johnny, with scorched clothes but nothing else, let go of the girl and jog over to where the fire truck was tilting dangerously over the edge. I followed, feeling a bit useless, and saw some firefighters climbing on the ladder, trying to reach one of their own who was hanging over the water. Then Ben grabbed the front of the truck and began to pull down, grunting. The truck came back onto its wheels, but the ladder slid down, another firefighter dangling from it.

As Ben struggled to pull it back up, I saw the first man slip and fall. Bystanders screamed, but I saw Reed dive... and stretch, catching the man in his arms. As he pulled him back up, Ben yelled and dragged the truck back onto the bridge. Mostly. I looked up and spotted the glint of a camera lens – this was being taped. As people started cheering, the reinforcements arrived. I slipped to the side, unseen in the crowd, as the police surrounded Ben, guns pointed at him. Some of the people around me began yelling at the police to leave him alone, and I saw Reed, Sue, and Johnny run up to the police holding the crowd back on the other side. Then the firefighters began clapping and cheering, and the rest of the crowd joined in. Ben looked around at the people, then saw someone in the crowd, whom he stepped toward. Debra. I saw her place something sparkling on the ground.

Ben knelt to pick it up, but Reed grabbed it and placed it in his hand. An engagement ring. Reed said something forcefully to Ben, then turned back to face the others.

"What now?" asked Johnny over the cheering.

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><p>I sat on the ground in the corner of the tent, watching as the paramedics clear Sue, the police mutter to each other about Ben, and Johnny watch Ben in confusion. "Where are your ears?" he asked. Ben looked up at him, and Johnny shrugged. I shook my head and laughed softly, but Johnny noticed me anyway. "Why are you here anyway? You don't have any powers, and you didn't help at all!" He looked at me expectantly.<p>

I wasn't sure either. Sue made it a point to make the police let me through, and Reed agreed. I shrugged and looked up as the fire chief walk into the tent.

"There are some folks outside that want to talk to you."

"We're not going public with this," said Reed. "We're scientists, not celebrities."

"I second that!" I said, standing up.

The chief looked at me, then back at Reed. "It's too late, kids." He moved to the TV they had set up in the back. "Look." He turned it on, and it showed footage of us. All of us. "See that?" The reporter began describing Reed's rescue. "That's what they're calling you – the Fantastic Four."

"Cool!" Johnny looked back at me. "See? Even the public doesn't recognize you as one of us!"

"Good," I said, turning back to the fire chief. Johnny, however, tried to leave, but Sue stopped him.

"No, wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go talk to 'em."

"No!" said Sue and I at the same time. "We should think this through," she continued.

Johnny gestured to all of us. "That's great. Brainstorm." He began backing out of the tent. He stopped to ask where the reporters were, and Sue and Reed looked at each other, then chased after him, me right behind them.

"Get back here right now! Johnny!" cried Sue.

He looked back at us and smiled, then came up to the crowd of reporters. "Settle down!" he said, holding up his hands. He looked back at Reed. "Do you believe this?"

The chief stepped in front of us. "Which one of you is the leader?"

"That would be me," said Johnny.

The chief just laughed. "No, seriously." Johnny looked disappointed. Sue shoved Reed forward and gave him a look. He nodded and stepped up. "Okay, son, you're on." He moved forward to face the press. I turned and saw Ben come up behind Johnny, and moved to hide behind his huge form.

Reed began like any amateur. "Uh..." I sighed and looked away. "...during our recent mission to the Von Doom space station... we were exposed to an as-yet unidentified radioactive energy."

"What happened on the bridge?"

"How can you stretch?"

"Is it true you can fly?"

Reed looked flustered by the questions, but Johnny smiled. "Yeah, I'm working on it. It's actually difficult-"

Sue cut off her brother as we all glared at him. "No, actually, we do not know much more than you do at this point. This has only just happened, and we will be going directly to the lab to diagnose our symptoms."

"Symptoms? Is this some kind of disease?"

"No!" In jumped Johnny. My head began to pound, and I was feeling more and more irritated. "No, no, no. It's not a disease." He looked at his sister and whispered, "Symptoms?" He looked back at the reporters. "If having special powers is a disease, then, yeah, we got it bad."

"Excuse me. That thing," said a reporter, pointing at Ben, "doesn't look so fantastic."

"Ben Grimm is a genuine American hero," said Reed. Ben moved forward, exposing me to the crowd again.

"What he means is, every team needs a mascot," said Johnny, putting an arm around Ben. The crowd laughed, and Sue glared at Johnny. He grabbed Reed and put an arm around him. "A new day is dawning." My head was about to explode. I stepped forward, into sight of the cameras. "The day of the Fantastic Four!"

There was a short pause, where everyone seemed to freeze and look in my direction. Then everything building up in my brain was let loose. I screamed, the sudden burst of power running through me making my skin sizzle. On impulse, I threw my arms out, and just like that, every car, light, camera, phone, and electronic device shut down. I fell to my knees and felt a rush. Then everything seemed to shift back into focus, and I felt full, whole, refreshed. I looked up to see everyone staring at me. There was a short pause. Then Johnny smiled.

"I guess that makes us the Fantastic Five!"

Furious, I stood and stalked up to him. "You know what, I'm sick of you and your fame-hunting!" I jabbed a finger at him, and saw sparks dance on my skin.

"Whoa, whoa, hey now. Calm down," he said, putting his hands up.

"Shut. UP!" I roared, shoving him. And just like that, he flew backwards and landed eight feet away, unconscious. Now people were really staring. Sue grabbed me and pulled me aside before I hurt someone else, and Reed turned back to the reporters.

"Look – Look, we went up to space to find a way to understand D.N.A., cure disease, save lives. Well, now it's our D.N.A., our 'disease,' our lives on the line. Thank you. No more questions."

He turned and joined Sue, who was holding my shoulders. "Are you okay?" she asked me. "What did you do?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. Johnny groaned and sat up.

"Jesus , that felt like I was getting struck by lightning," he said, crawling to his feet.

"You deserved it," I said, glaring at him.

Reed looked around at everyone who was banging on their car or shaking their phones. "Eve, I think you just shorted out every electronic device around here."

The fire chief, who was standing nearby, said, "Oh boy. Now how are we gonna get you guys back to wherever you're staying?" Everyone turned to look at me.

"What?"

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><p><strong>Yay! Eve can absorb electricity and shock people with her hands. Who does that sound like? And what can this mean for Eve? Keep reading to find out!<strong>

**Next chapter has a big surprise involving Tessa! Review to get more!**


	8. A Grand Mess

**Sorry about not updating, but here it is! Finally, I present chapter 8!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight - A Grand Mess<strong>

It took half an hour to jump-start enough cars to transport us back. By jump-start, I mean Reed forcing me to press my hands to the batteries and concentrate on "releasing the electromagnetic energy" or something into the car. It took four tries on a police cruiser to get it right. It was bad enough to have everyone staring at me, but Reed –_ Reed! _- yelling nearly set me over the edge.

The whole thing was crazy. When we finally arrived at the Baxter Building with the police, the streets were clogged with new fans. Amazing how fast people can become popular. I was nearing a nervous breakdown when we pulled up to the curb, and scrambled out of the cruiser so fast, I'm sure I looked insane.

My look wasn't helping either. From what I could tell, my dark hair was sticking up in every possible angle and crackling with electricity. Everything I touched (which was as little as possible) carried a static charge, and sparks leaped from my fingers every time I clenched them (which was a lot). My boring sweats stuck to every surface and my skittish movements just made it worse.

I sprinted into the building, slammed the doors open, and almost knocked down the doorman. James O'Hoolihan. Annoying as hell. Ignoring his slightly flustered greeting, I practically kicked the door open to the stairs and began to run up the steps, my breath in rhythm with my feet. As I neared the fifteenth floor, I heard the door open and heavy steps cause the metal to creak. I glanced down and saw the rocky head of Ben.

When I made it to the top, Ben was only on the third landing and climbing steadily. I stepped through the door into the spectacular home of Reed Richards. I'd seen it before, on camera, in pictures, but never in person. It was huge, and probably would have seemed spacious if the whole place wasn't full to the brim with half-finished projects and crumpled blueprints.

I heard the elevator ding, and Johnny and Susan's voices as they entered as well. Reed stepped in and raised his eyebrows at me, but I was saved by Johnny's gasp of amazement, and took the chance to escape into another room. The kitchen, by the looks of it, was bare of food and was instead full of tools and granola wrappers.

Sitting in the one empty chair, I felt disconnected. My phone was powered down, sitting in my pocket. My laptop was on its way, due to arrive tomorrow at my apartment. I sighed and closed my eyes, resting my head on the back of the chair.

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><p>I was jolted awake by screaming. I flailed in the air for a second before landing painfully on the floor. I groaned, rubbed my face, and inspected my body for injuries. I was going to be bruised later. Another scream echoed through the halls, and I scrambled to my feet. I knew that scream anywhere. I bolted back out to the main room and was greeted with a strange sight.<p>

Ben stood surrounded by Reed, Sue, and Johnny. He held his arm up high, and clutched in his rocky fingers was the collar of none other than Tessa Marshall, kicking and screaming swear words at the top of her lungs at Reed and Ben. She was obviously ignoring Johnny, who was obviously checking her out, and Sue, who was obviously confused with the whole thing.

"Tessa!" I shouted, silencing her shrieks and earning the stares of everyone. Then, with a burst of strength, Tessa kicked Ben and was dropped to the ground. She landed on her feet and practically jumped on top of me, squealing.

"You really are alive!" She pulled away, whooped once, then grabbed me once again in a lung-crushing hug. "My bestie is a superhero!"

"Who are you?" asked Reed, flustered. All of them were staring at Tessa, with rainbow-dyed hair, a Power Rangers costume, white Go-Go boots, a slinky on her wrist, and around a dozen shoelaces tied in a necklace.

"Madonna," was her answer, before turning back to me and peppering me with questions. "Do I get to be your sidekick? Do you have a costume? Can _I _have a costume? Didja shock him?" she asked, pointing to Johnny. "I bet you shocked him."

"Tess, shut up," I grumbled, rubbing my forehead.

"Who is this?" asked Ben, looking at me like I was a dog that just peed on his $4,000 dollar rug. Luckily, I just don't do the whipped-puppy look.

"None of your business, rock-boy -"

"Tessa Marshall, descendant of Sherlock Holmes himself, at your service," interrupted Tess. She bowed deeply, then straightened up and shot me a lopsided grin. "Do ya need something before I make my super-awesome exit?"

Frowning, I sighed. "Just, can you bring me some of my stuff? I'll be getting a package tomorrow, do you think you can bring that too?"

"Sure do, tennis shoe!" she said before skipping to the elevator.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Sue spoke up: "I'm going to take a shower." As she left, Johnny announced he was picking his room and Ben muttered something about television as he lumbered off.

Then there were two.

"So, uh, who was that exactly?" Reed looked awkward, and I realized it was me making him uncomfortable.

"My best friend. She's a bit... eccentric. And before you ask, yes, she always dresses like that."

"Oh."

We stood in silence for a moment longer before I got sick of it. "Do you have any food in this place, or do you eat wires?" It was a horrible attempt at a joke, but Reed smiled half-heartedly.

"Yeah, there should be some in the fridge. I'm going to go make sure everyone has the stuff they need..." He would have gone on, but I had already left.

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><p>Two sandwiches later, I was finally satisfied. I came out to the hall leading to rooms when the elevator dinged, and Victor stepped out.<p>

"Evonna," he said grimly. I raised an eyebrow at the state of his scar, but said nothing. "Bad news. The bank pulled out. I need you to do some things for me. Leonard will call with more details." He gave me a look, and I wondered how much he knew about my, uh, symptoms. "Keep an eye on them. Stick to my instructions, and don't let this get any worse than it already is."

I ducked my head in a single nod, then escaped down the hall to the last empty room. As I finished replacing the sheets on my new bed, the lights flickered and shouting could be heard out by the elevator. I peeked out to see Victor vanish behind the closing doors and Reed and Ben looking after him with strange looks on their faces. I went back to my room before they noticed me, flopped down on the bed, and groaned.

What had I gotten myself into?

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 is in progress, don't worry. Be here next Wednesday!<strong>


	9. Lightning

**In the next episode of Striking, Eve gets a call from Leonard and imitates Tessa! It was supposed to be longer, but I had to cut it short due to time. Oh, well.**

**Enjoy, my pretties!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine - Lightning<strong>

The next three days were full of testing. I stayed locked up in my room with my laptop for the whole first day, after receiving it from the front desk. Apparently, Tessa wasn't allowed up anymore. While Johnny melted the giant box Reed employed to test his power, I delved into my own electronic world and only emerged when my cellphone rang.

"What?" I asked, my fingers flying across the keyboard.

"It's me. Victor has some instructions for you." I rolled my eyes, sighed, shifted the phone to my other ear, and pulled up the security camera feed from Leonard's office. He was sitting at his desk, talking to me on the phone and clicking away on his computer in that infuriatingly slow way of his.

"Shoot."

"Let's see, he needs the information for a doctor -"

"'Kay, let me pull up the list."

"- he wants you to set up cameras in the Baxter Building -"

"What?"

"- and he wants to plant an idea."

"Wait, wait, wait! Cameras? Really?" I was a bit scared. "Is Victor going all pervert on me?"

Leonard chuckled, both over the phone and on the camera. "Victor said you'd say that. He only wants them in Reed's workstations. He wants to make sure Dr. Richards is staying on track." He stood and stared out the window, his free hand on his hip.

I knew for a fact that was not Victor's intention. I didn't know what it really was, but it was not the noble cover he told his assistant. I sighed. This was part of the job description, and I was good at it. Too good sometimes. "Fine. What about the doctor thing?"

"He's not feeling swell. He wants someone reliable, new -"

"Wait, stop. Did you just say swell?"

"Yes, why?"

It was hard containing my laughter. Scrawny, sewer-rat Leonard saying _"swell"_? That was just wrong. He turned and approached my desk, sat in my chair, and started rifling through the stacks of paper coating my workspace. At that, I frowned.

"Never mind. Ah, here we go." I pulled up the file I had on Dr. Wesley Tohns, a new doctor on payroll and one of the best at keeping his mouth shut and sealed, especially to those damn reporters. I read off some of the information to Leonard, then sent him the file. "Shot it to you. Bye."

I was about to hang up, but Leonard's voice stopped me. "You're forgetting the last of the instructions." I groaned, but kept the phone to my ear. "Now, he needs you to do something about Reed." As he relayed the message, I jotted down two words on my hand as a reminder. "Got that?" he asked, lounging in my chair.

"I'd better be getting payed for this. Oh, and Leonard? Leave my stuff alone, and get out of my chair." I managed to catch his look of shock before I disconnected the camera feed and returned to my own universe, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach about Victor's second request.

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><p>The second day, Reed had Ben drag me out of my room. He would do it himself, but not only was he a complete wimp about it, when he tried, he got a nasty shock on his arm. It really wasn't that bad, but he yelped and jumped away from me like I was some sort of vicious animal that finally bit back. So he sent in the big guns, and Ben can't be shocked. He's a stone, and stones don't get electrocuted.<p>

So Grimm picked me up by my sweatshirt and dumped me in a chair. I glared at him and hissed at Reed when he tried to touch me. "Get away from me," I growled when he came towards me clutching what looked like si-fi movie props. They were clunky gloves with several wires attached to them, and most of the wires lead to a big, gray box with a meter at the top. The rest lead to -

"Lamps? Really?" I jerked away when Reed darted for my hands, but then Ben just wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. "Get off me, bastard!" As I kicked and struggled against the uncomfortably hard rock, Richards came closer. I clenched my fists, sparks leaping off them. "Come any closer, rubber band, and I'll shock your graying hair out."

Both men seemed taken aback by my resistance to being studied, and Rocky loosened his grip. I slipped out and got a few feet away when arms grabbed my legs and yanked me upside-down. As I shrieked bloody murder at Reed, who had caught me, and Ben, who was holding me by my ankles, the tall scientist slipped the gloves on my hand, strapped on the Velcro, and jumped back.

Nothing happened. Well, Johnny and Sue appeared from who-knows-where and saw me hanging upside-down with freaky gloves on my hands and struggling to escape. Johnny doubled over laughing while Sue stalked up to her ex and asked him why I was screaming. When they finished their chat, Sue came up to face me, albeit she was upright, not hanging from the walking sculpture.

"Eve, Reed just wants to test how powerful your shock is. Why are you fighting?"

"Make Pebbles here put me down, or I'll shock all your asses off while you sleep," I demanded.

Behind her, Johnny was grinning. "Pebbles. Good one. Gotta remember that."

Susan frowned, then nodded to Ben. He reluctantly placed me back on the chair. I crossed my arms and turned to face away. I was acting childish, but I really hate being tested on. Really, _really_, hate it.

"Do I have to?" At their nods, I groaned and uncrossed my arms, making fists. "Fine. Fine!"

"Okay, just let out the biggest shock you can give us," said Reed, looking pleased with himself.

I closed my eyes, and felt a current run under my skin, concentrating in my palms and fingertips. I could feel it swirl, like water, then build up. It all happened so fast that when I opened my eyes, everyone was still the same. Watching me expectantly. For a second, there was absolute silence. Then - _crack! _In one second, I released the electric pulse through the gloves and all the lights went out in the room. Then they flashed on once, twice, three times, and stayed, even the lamps. The gray box was smoking a bit. Everyone stood there, blinking, then jumped into action.

"Sue, can you go check the circuit breaker downstairs?" asked Reed, examining the box. She nodded and strode to the elevator. "Oh, my. Eve, I believe you actually shorted this out!"

"What is it?" asked Ben, coming closer.

"It measures the voltage of something. I tweaked it a little, so it's supposed to be able to measure up to 10,000 volts. You had more voltage than a small lighting strike." I blinked at him. "That's enough to kill a man. That's enough to kill ten men. That's enough to power this whole building for over a year, give or take."

"Hey, guys?" Johnny spoke up from where he was, around the group of lamps, which were still burning. "You know these aren't on, right?"

Reed turned to look at me, scrambled around, pulled on some gloves of his own, and unscrewed one of the light bulbs. It continued to glow in his insulated hand, illuminating his shocked face. Feeling awkward, I stood, tore off the gloves, scrambled over, and snatched the bulb out of his hand. It was burning warm, but the second I touched it, it went out with a pop. As Reed continued to stare, I looked at the glass, contemplating, then span around and chucked it at Ben. It shattered on his chest, and all three of the men stared at me again.

"No more tests for me today," I said, stalking down the hall and locking myself in my room with the lights out. I didn't leave until everyone was asleep six hours later. Then I slipped out, pulled on a dress, and went out to grab a drink. I really needed one anyway.

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><p><strong>Poor Eve. Poor, antisocial, hating Eve. Why can't she see that they're the good guys. *cackles* Because I like to make her suffer, that's why! And it's a way better plot when she hates everyone.<strong>

**Until next week, my pretties, review, review, review!**


	10. Eyes

**ZOMG, I'm soooo sorry guys! I was going to post this over a month ago, but then I was busy, and then I went on vacation, and *INSERT EXCUSE HERE*, and... yeah. ****I had this typed up right after Chapter 9 was posted, I swear. On my nonexistent Harry Potter box set, which is the equivalent to the bible.**

**Okay, on with my rant-thingy. So, a bunch of important announcements in the Author's Note at the bottom. Please read them!**

**Now, I present, FINALLY, Chapter 10!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten - Eyes<strong>

I had another dream.

It began with blankness, just me and an endless expanse of white. Then there was a flash of blue, a heavenly azure that blinded me for a few seconds, and I found myself in the dark, a lantern, the same blue light filling it, clutched in my hand. In front of me stood Tessa, holding a blue cube with the same light, staring out into the shadows. Somehow, I knew something was lurking out there, waiting. It was scared of something, but the light was drawing it in. There were sounds, too. Quiet, singular sounds, like a clink of metal, a muffled sound of a gunshot, and a thunk of a body hitting the ground. There was also a steady beat, filling the space with a pounding _thump-thump_.

"They want the cube," Tessa murmured, pulling said cube closer to her chest. "They want it so badly. All of them. But they cannot have it." She looked at me, her blank gaze rooting me to my spot. "They _must_ not have it, Eve." Her voice was different, softer and less erratic. She sounded like a poet, not the artist that she is. It wasn't my friend.

I opened my mouth to speak, but a shrill scream stabbed the air and cut me off. Tess looked out into the dark, and glowing red eyes looked back at us. She turned back to me and hurriedly spoke. "But you are not ready to hold the burden. Not yet." She whirled around, and a dark shape leaping toward her was blasted out of the air by a shot from the cube. Surveying the scene, she said, "Someday soon, you will have to carry the cube. Now, you must choose your path. One choice will lead you to the cube, and ultimately, to what you desire most. The other will hold only pain and grief."

Another shot was fired into the darkness, and the victim of the attack howled, causing goosebumps to rise on my arms. Tessa took my lantern and blew out the blue light, then handed it back to me. "Your choice," she whispered, then took off running, the glowing cube pressed to her heart, dark shapes in pursuit. I was left in the suffocating blackness, the _thump-thump_ speeding up. It was my heart, constricting with fear and confusion.

Then the lantern flickered with a golden-white light, the world was illuminated, and I was calm.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I found myself on the floor again. I faintly remembered passing out there, but the whole night was a blur. All I recalled was that I was barely-able-to-function drunk, and that the sharp pain in my head was not a tumor but another hangover. But when I managed to pull my weak body into some form of upright position, I realized that the pain was a tight headband that I remembered putting on at one point during the night, not the after-effect of too much alcohol. I, the queen of hangovers, did not have a hangover.<p>

Because I was hangover-free, I thought I was free to stand without trouble. I thought wrong. The second I stood, the world began to spin and I noticed that I was shaking uncontrollably. I fumbled to open the door, then half-stumbled, half-shuffled to the kitchen. Everything in my peripheral vision was blurred, and all I had my eyes on was the bunch of bananas sitting on the counter.

I ate all seven of them within three minutes.

After yanking off the headband and tossing it into a corner, a loaf of bread, a bag of potato chips, and a large bowl of pistachios vanished down my throat. When I was finally satisfied with my eating binge, I found myself standing in front of the television. I took the remote, flopped on the couch, and turned on the TV. After a full five minutes of channel surfing, I settled on some violently nasty cartoon and zoned out.

* * *

><p>An hour later, I was yanked away from my brain hiatus when Johnny sat down next to me, too close for comfort in my opinion, and snatched the remote from my hand. He changed the channel to a reality TV show, and in a few short seconds, I figured out why. The whole show centered around a group of scantily dressed women with bad tans and even worse attitudes. They undoubtedly wore a lot of exposing clothing. The sounds faded to the background as I pressed my face into the pillow I clutched in my arms, smashed between my chest and my knees.<p>

"Where'd you go? You know, last night?" Johnny's question brought me back to reality again. I glared at him, then stood and shuffled into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. When I returned, he posed his question again, looking at me expectantly.

"Somewhere," I growled, reclaiming my seat on the couch. He put his hand on my knee, and my head snapped around so fast, I nearly whacked him. He gaped at me, pulling back. "What?"

He raised his eyebrows, shook his head, and looked back at his program. "Nice eyes," he commented, before engrossing himself in the show as three of the women came to blows.

It took a second for his words to sink in. Then I thought of Ben's rocky form, and the gray lines of hair at Reeds temples, and panicked. Leaping up, I scrambled to the bathroom, slammed the door, and shakily stood in front of the mirror with my eyes closed. Slowly, I opened them, and found myself staring at a face I hadn't seen in a while.

It's safe to say I don't use mirrors very often. The times I do, I usually look like a steamroller ran me down. So as I stared at my reflection, I didn't recognize the golden-eyed woman standing there. My skin was taut across my bones, my face hollow and sharp. Any extra fat on my body was gone, leaving my skinny frame exposed. My eyes, which had once been a muddy brown, had lightened considerably, making them look yellow. _Like lighting_, I thought, noticing the dark circles that usually underlined my gaze had vanished. I span around, looking at myself from all angles, seeing _me_ for the first time since the accident had ruined my quiet life.

When I finally made my way back to the living room, Reed was sitting in the kitchen, studying the newspaper and eating a bowl of cereal. I was clean, wearing a new set of sweats, and hungry again. It seemed to me that I was eating every three or four hours. Snatching the box of cereal, I began eating by the handful as I sat down next to Johnny once again. He was watching another reality show, and was shouting at the TV.

"Break up!" he cried, a single flame erupting from his shoulder. He noticed it and jumped back, shouting and trying to put it out before he set the room on fire. Reed jumped up and dumped a glass of water on him, putting out the blaze. "Thanks for the help," he said, watching me.

My brain had frozen, and I was blankly staring at the ink smudges on my thumb. It was barely legible, and read: _Br k p. _ But the words had been permanently etched into my mind, and were bouncing around in there, echoing through my thoughts. Slowly, I tore myself away from my hesitation, and pulled myself together. "It's my job," I whispered, too quiet for anyone but myself to hear. "Just my job." Sitting back, I settled in and waited for my chance to spring.

When Sue walked into the kitchen, I noticed the rustling of papers that meant Reed was still there had stopped. "Good morning," she said to everyone, smiling as she put something in the microwave.

"Mornin'" replied Susan's brother without looking up from the TV. I had finally reclaimed the remote, and Jonathon and I had compromised on a ridiculous game show. He was now docilely watching the contestants swear at each other. I looked up from behind the back of the couch at Dr. Richards, who was looking at her sadly.

She smiled again as she left, taking the steaming plate with her. Reed watched her go, nearly dropping his coffee when a gunshot went off on the show. Johnny noticed too, smirking. I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. This was my opportunity.

Turning to the blond, I said, "How did they break up?" He looked at me like I was crazy, and I heard Reed do a spit take behind me. There was no going back now. "Reed and Sue? How did they break up?"

Johnny shrugged. "Something about moving in together. Right, rubber band?" he asked, calling Reed by the name I had dubbed him last night. He hadn't been in the room at the time, but someone must have told him. Or maybe he came up with it as well. In any case, the doctor looked uncomfortable as the object of the question.

"Uh, yeah. We had a disagreement." He was slightly flushed, and looked away quickly under my stare.

I swallowed. "Who broke up with who?" was my next question. Again, Johnny shrugged, but Reed looked even more flustered, if that was even possible. He couldn't come up with a reasonable answer, and just mumbled something incoherent before fleeing the room. Storm and I looked at each other, then turned back to the show, content with the silence between us.

* * *

><p>Later that day, during Sue's testing, I heard the sound of someone falling over, papers following. Leaving the hall and dashing to the kitchen, I saw Reed and Susan picking up a mess on the ground. Just as I made it through the doorway, I heard the dark-haired man say, "I mean, you broke up with me, right?"<p>

Smiling to myself, I entered the living room to see Johnny standing at the sink, trying to turn the sink on with several flames erupting from his torso. "Move!" I yelled, and as he jumped back, I grabbed the sink hose and dosed him with it. When the smoke and steam cleared, his shirt had lots of gaping holes, exposing his chest. Silently I thought, _There must be a god, for letting his pants _not _catch fire._ Who knows what could have happened!

"Like what you see?" he asked, gesturing to himself, his panic from before melting back to his usual cockiness.

"Yeah, that shirt looks way cooler after being set on fire. Maybe you should do that to all your stuff!" Going around him, I pulled an apple from the bowl on the counter and took a big bite, raising an eyebrow at his expression.

"You wanna wear it?" he asked, smirking again. I took another bite and flipped him off, sparks leaping from my finger. Backing down, he said, "I'm gonna go talk to Reed about this. Try not to get to lonely without me." As he left, I rolled my eyes and bit into the apple again, smiling to myself once more.

When I finally left the kitchen, I found Reed analyzing one of Victor's skintight suits under a fancy microscope. Mine was ruined, after puking on it during the cosmic storm, but it seemed he had the rest.

"Hey, Reed?" I asked cautiously. He looked up, saw me, and swallowed nervously. "I'm, um, s-" I stopped, taking a breath. "I'm sorry about yesterday. Y'know, the fighting and all." I mentally slapped myself. I sounded like Tessa. "I, uh, wanna finish the tests. But... I hafta be asleep, or sedated, or whatever. I think I might break any machines you have if I, uh... freak out again?" I _really_ sounded like Tess, and prayed that I didn't sound like this every time I apologized.

"Oh, um, okay." He, too, sounded weird, and I realized that I scared him. "I'll have to get Ben to help...," he said, trailing off. I nodded slowly, then sighed. He stood up abruptly, and went off to get his best friend, while I quickly pulled out a little camera from my pocket, stood on a desk, and planted it in a corner, giving it the perfect view of the workspace. Getting down, I fingered the fourth and final camera in my pocket, and mentally braced myself for the testing to begin.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Okay, as you may have not noticed, <em>Striking<em> is the first installment in my extremely long, thought-out series called the Voltage Saga. Voltage being *INSERT SPOILER HERE*, which will be revealed in a coming chapter. The dream Eve had this chapter is vital to the saga, and will be mentioned in the next installment, _Shocking _(coming soon!). Also, the fact that Tessa is in all of her creepy dreams, the fact that she always has a headache after, and the fact that her dreams sound prophetic will be addressed in coming chapters and installments.  
><strong>**

****Patience, kiddies! Patience! *INSERT COWERING HERE*****

****All readers, I ask that you at least give me a emoticon in a review. REVIEWS MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND AND THE CHAPTERS COME FASTER, GUYS! Guess why Tessa is a creepy poet-person, what the glowing blue cube is, and, more importantly, what the dreams mean. Or suggest awesome one-shots for me to write some day... hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.****

**Also, I promise, Chapters 11 and 12 will be up within seven days. If not, I give you full permission to come after me with pitchforks and torches.**

**BTW, sorry for the awfully long AN here. *INSERT MORE APOLAGIES HERE* *ALSO, SPELL CHECK, BECAUSE I CANNOT SPELL APOLOGIES***

**I'm off to go terrorize Eve in more crazy ways and possibly blow up some stalkers in creepy white vans. ****Until next time, my pretties! *INSERT SKIPPING DOWN THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD HERE***


	11. Flashbacks

**As promised, Chapter 11. Short but sweet, with a tiny insert of Eve's past. Chapter 12 in the works, READ AND REVIEW OR DIE!**

**Enjoy! :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven - Flashbacks<strong>

When I woke up, I was hyperventilating. Reed rushed to my side and quickly pulled the sensors off me, not fast enough, in my opinion. When he was finished, I bolted out of the room, locked myself in my bedroom, fumbled through my duffel bag, found my flask, poured a shot, and swiftly drained it.

Shakily, I sat, perched, at the end of my bed, and rested my head in my hands. The lights around me were flickering like crazy, my hair was sticking up, and sparks were jumping from my fingers and pulsing down my arms.

Gripping my shot glass like a lifeline, I clenched my teeth and tried to keep the memories at bay. It didn't work.

"_Finn! Finn!" I cried, clutching the limp body of the boy, his brown curls damp, his green eyes open and unseeing. "Finn!" I sobbed, burying my face into his chest, tears coming freely._

I shook my head, grunting with effort. I tried thinking about anything, everything but the memories spilling over. Everything reminded me of Finn, though.

"_Finn!" I screamed, reaching for his body as I was dragged away._

I barely felt the blood seeping through my fingers, a result of the cracking glass buried in my flesh.

_I stood, dressed in gray sweats, an IV in my wrist, watching through a window as they cut open Finn, running test after test on his hair and skin and blood and eyes, and every other part of him. I watched, tears staining my shirt, and jumped when a hand touched my shoulder. "Your turn," he whispered into my ear, and I cried as I was lead away._

"Eve?" called a voice through the door. I opened my eyes, realizing that they were closed, and slowly unclenched my fists, the sticky blood running between my fingers and leaving stains on my knees. "Are you okay?"

I vaguely noticed Sue's voice at the other side of the door, and groaned as I stood, tripping over the flask I'd dropped. "Yeah," I managed, leaning against the door. I cleared my throat, then said, "Can you get me a towel, though?"

She returned a few minutes later and came through my door, to find me leaning against the dresser, my bloody palms pressed to the wood, with my eyes closed and breathing heavily. She rushed inside, calling for Reed, then attempted to help me stand. My legs wouldn't support me, and she resorted to running to the bathroom and wetting the towel.

"Hot damn," said Johnny when he appeared at my doorway. He stared at me for a minute, and I opened my eyes to glare at him, before closing them again.

"Johnny, go get Reed!" hissed Sue, cleaning up my left arm. He fled, returning with the baffled scientist. I drifted off, my limbs going numb, and my eyes blurring with tears and exhaustion.

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><p>It was three in the morning when I came back to the world. I was splayed across a bare bed, with new sweats and bandages on the cuts on my palms. My hands were literally numb, and I was starving. I staggered to my feet and shuffled out of the room, avoiding looking at the bloodstains on the dresser and floor.<p>

After raiding the fridge and devouring most of what was inside, I found Reed bent over a microscope, jotting down notes. "Unbelievable," he muttered, turning to look at x-rays.

"What is?" I asked, crossing my arms and eying his startled reaction.

"Oh, your results. Your bones, skin, and muscle, they act like insulation, but your blood carries an electrical charge. Basically, your body acts like a battery." Reed fumbled around with papers, then pulled up some comparison results and pointed at some numbers. "Each of your hairs acts as miniature lightning rods, attracting the electromagnetic waves in the air and charging your blood. The shocks you generate come from your blood, and the skin on your palms work like an outlet, discharging the electricity building up in your blood. It's all in your blood."

I touched the stack of papers, then let my hand fall limply to my side. "Cool," I said, eying the portrait of he and Sue, his arm over her shoulders, grinning at the camera. I shuffled away, then sat in a random chair, lost in my thoughts. The words on my hand had faded away, but I remembered them clearly. "Break up," I whispered, recalling Leonard's instructions.

"_Bring up the break up. Install doubt, cause a rift. Victor wants them to hate each other. It's your job to make that happen."_

I drifted off, the memories haunting my sleep.

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><p>I woke up again, this time at a quarter past noon, and immediately plugged myself in to the internet, munching on some potato chips. I was checking the stocks when an alert popped up for the New York Times website.<p>

The headline: _Doctor Murdered Mysteriously._

It was a small article, short but sweet. In summary, it stated that a Dr. Wesley Tohns was found dead, forcibly choked, then thrown against some glass. He had multiple lacerations on his back and head, the cause of death.

Shocked, I found myself reading the coroner's report, and the police report as well. Then I found something that made me go cold.

Dr. Tohns last patient was Victor Von Doom.

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><p><strong>Okay, for those that are confused, this chapter starts right after Eve's testing. She is asleep for it, so she doesn't really know what went on. I really wanted to put a break down in here, show how vulnerable Eve can get when facing her past. Trust me, all will make sense in time.<strong>

**Reed's diagnosis of her powers was all made up by me. Also, Dr. Tohns was mentioned in two other chapters. Anyone know which ones?**

**Hope you liked! 5 reviews and I'll immediately post a new chapter! :D**


	12. Suits

**Okay, okay, so I am a horrible person. I am very, very, very, very, very, very, very sorry I haven't updated in months. SO SORRY OKAY. Hope this will make it up to you...**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve - Suits<strong>

I later found out that Reed had worked through the night on examining the blue suits we had worn on the mission. Apparently, they were all still intact - all but mine, however. The scientist had the Storm siblings change into their respective suits, himself already wearing his. We were gathered in the living room as he explained why they were back in the hideous suits.

"Our uniforms were exposed to the storm, like us, so they can transform like us... becoming invisible, changing size on demand, or remaining impervious to flame." He said, gesturing to each when he mentioned their respective powers. I rolled my eyes as Johnny struck a pose.

Ben chuckled, raising his metal glass. "You guys look like an '80s rock band."

As Johnny proudly showed off his suit and Reed self-consciencly looked himself down, Sue gave Ben a pointed look and raised the remaining suit in her hands. "You know, Ben, this material stretches. I'm sure I can figure out a way to make it fit."

Ben stammered out an excuse as I let out a quick laugh from my seat on the floor. He glared at me as he said, "I wouldn't be caught dead wearing that. By the way, why doesn't _she_ have to wear one?" He nodded at me.

"Hers is... out of commission," was Reed's muttered response as he adjusted the outfit some more.

Johnny rubbed his hands down his chest, grinning. "I love these costumes! They're missing something, though. Needs, like, spice-"

As he spoke, Reed dropped his arms and turned to look at the enthusiastic Storm. "They're not costumes," he said, exasperated.

"You can't use your powers in public, Johnny," sighed his sister, glaring at him again as he karate-chopped the air.

He gave them a smug look. "You guys are worse than NASA." He turned to walk away as Sue protested, scoffing.

Ben shook his glass. "Maybe its missing a utility belt," he muttered with a laugh as he took a drink."

I rolled my eyes and stood. My hands were still bandaged, but more lightly, and the were covered with thick, insulated gloves that were more my idea than Reed's. I couldn't type, but I also couldn't shock people on accident. A blessing and a curse. Another up side was that my hair no longer stuck up with static electricity, but was instead full and impossible to tame.

Something about my powers had changed my appearance - I now had gold eyes, darker and fuller hair, and paler skin. I was also supercharged, and always hungry. Reed explained that if I didn't eat a minimum of 3250 calories a day to just stay conscience. The electricity in my body burned the calories so fast that I would die without eating a feast of food each day. Apparently, the food also insulated my body. Without it, my brain would be short-circuited and stop, the shocks would stop my heart, and my body would fall into a coma, then shut down.

My luck couldn't have sucked more.

On my way to the kitchen, Sue announced she was going out. I sighed; she was about to get her first dose of ferocious fans. The night I went out, I distinctly recall being mauled by my new followers and being assaulted with free drinks. Of course, before I blacked out.

For the moment, I was just glad that I didn't have to wear the ugly suits again.

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><p><strong>Kinda short, I know... Please don't kill me! Good thing is, you guys get two chapter today! Next one coming up in a few minutes! ~~SORRY OKAY!~<strong>


	13. Plans and Pranks

**Second chapter today! Hopefully this will make up for the short one earlier! o.O**

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen - Plans and Pranks<strong>

The next morning sucked.

First, I stayed up until 4 drinking a Scotch and watching some stupid crime show.

Then, I thought it would be a grand idea to call Tessa. I sat through an entire hour of her describing every second of her time in court against Reagan - "You should have seen the look on her face!" - her verdict - "Innocent, can you believe it!" - and how she had sent each jury member a free ticket to her art show - "Which, for the record, is not bribery since court was already over."

Finally, I got a call from Victor himself, telling me to "get your ass in motion and ruin that son of a bitch."

So, obviously, I was in a bad mood when Reed called us all together for breakfast together, a bad idea as it is. I inhaled an entire batch of pancakes before anyone arrived to the table, and was sprawled across the counter when Sue came in and sat down with a sigh, opening up her newspaper. Reed arrived with his pile of papers, Ben close behind. The rock-man grabbed a large bowl of fruit and another empty one, along with a bag of oranges, and proceeded to squeeze all the juice into the bowl.

Johnny arrived last, saying, "All right, I'm here. Let's make this quick. I got places to go today." He paused for a second to shove me off the counter and grab Ben's bowl of orange juice, which he was just about to drink. I landed with a thud and groaned, before tugging off my glove and brushing Jonathon's leg with my finger, giving him a quick shock. He kicked at me, and I rolled away.

"Oh, wait," he laughed as Ben grumbled. "I don't go anywhere."

As I slowly pulled myself to my feet, Ben attempted to pick up his fork. "Johnny, it's imperative that we stay inside for the foreseeable future," said Reed, waving his hands.

Johnny pulled out a glass and poured the orange juice into it, rolling his eyes. "I know, I know, Reed, but when you said that last time my brain heard a week." He pointed to his head for enfasis.

Sue sighed. "Johnny, it's too dangerous for you to be in public."

Her brother paused, licking his lips. "You've been saying that for years." By then, I was up and slipped past the playboy to snatch a box of cereal. I began to scarf it down as he gave me a disgusted look. "Don't choke," he muttered, turning to the sink.

"What worries me is that our powers are evolving." Reed looked back down at his papers as Ben managed to get the fork into his fingers.

"I know, I _know_! I am so close to flying, guys, I can taste it." Johnny crumpled up his napkin and threw it on the counter, accidentally setting it on fire.

His sister scoffed. "You can't fly!"

"Yet," he said, giving her a look.

"Johnny, can you put that napkin out?"

"Oh, Jesus." He set down his glass and began to pat at the flaming napkin, to no avail. I rolled my eyes and finished off the cereal, then grabbed the water hose. After putting out the napkin, I threw my empty box at the blonde as he picked up his glass again, then stationed myself by the microwave.

"What's going on, Reed? How're you gonna cure us?" demanded Ben, ignoring us and waving around his fork.

Reed grabbed a diagram off his pile. "I'm gonna build a machine to recreate the storm." Johnny grinned and raised his glass. Sue blinked at him, then turned to her ex with interest. "The cosmic rays will travel from this generator," he said, pointing with his finger, "to this chamber."

"What, no pop-ups?" asked Johnny, earning a smack from me and a glare from his sister.

Dr. Richards pushed through. "If I can reverse the wave signal..."

"... it'll return us back to normal," finished Ben, earning a nod from his best friend. "Huh," he said, finally eating the watermelon on his fork.

Sue asked something, but I was mostly distracted by the crunching noise coming from Pebbles. I did notice Reed's answer, however.

"Even a small miscalculation could increase our symptoms exponentially..." Ben chewed, causing another crunch. "Or perhaps even kill us."

Grimm growled as he spotted the bite marks in his fork - he had bitten the ends off. "Now, dying - that's bad, right?" asked the younger Storm, pointing with his finger. Reed sighed inwardly and I groaned out loud. "I say we just let sleeping dogs lie, guys." He took the last chair and flipped it around, sitting in it backwards.

"So, how long 'till this contraption's up and runnin'?" asked Rocky.

"I don't know, it's hard to say."

"How long, Reed?" I could tell this was going to escalate quickly.

"I don't know, uh-"

"You don't _know_?" Ben stood up.

"You don't want this to get worse."

Then Johnny decided to inject his personal opinion with a chuckle. "Worse than _that_?" He earned an angry scowl from the rock-man, and another slap on the back of the head from me. It wasn't because I liked Ben, but because I really, _really_, wanted him to shut up.

Sue intervened as well, standing. "Guys, look, we're gonna be stuck here for a while. So let's just try and get along."

From the look on her brother's face, I knew there was a slim to nothing chance that was going to happen. So did Ben. He took off, grumbling about Johnny, while Reed and Sue went their separate ways to plan for the machine. Which left me with Mr. "I'm All That".

"What are you looking at, light socket?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

"A piece of shit," I growled back, picking up the leftover juice and, on instinct, poured it down his shirt.

Judging by the four-letter words coming out of his mouth, it was going to be a long week.

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><p>It was. Johnny took pleasure in pranking Ben as much as he could, starting with the shaving cream trick and supergluing his things to the ground. He tried to get me with the warm water trick the first night, but only managed in getting himself shocked across the room. I'm a light sleeper and water doesn't mix well with electricity.<p>

Reed had a few adventures using his power, like retrieving things while he was in the bathroom or multitasking in the kitchen. Sue used hers when Reed walked in on her showering, or when Johnny tried to prank her too. More often then not, Reed had to get me to turn the power back on when he accidentally shut it down, or turn off the fire alarm when Johnny accidentally set them off.

Much to my dismay, I started to grow closer to the "Fantastic Four". Johnny painfully reminded me of a younger brother, though we were around the same age, and Sue was like an older sister or a mom. Reed was like a genius dad who knew nothing about parenting, and Ben was, well, Ben. Truth be told, I still didn't like Ben. He was just a bit too... grounded to be real. He was so wrapped up in the things he lost to really be anything but a whiny brat. He knew nothing about losing people.

Although I was under strict orders from Victor to tear these people apart, he started to seem like less and less of a threat to me. I was scared of losing my job before, but honestly, it seemed like I already had. I was hired to ruin people from the isolation of my apartment or the office. Not up close and personal. Besides, living in the Baxter Building was actually much better than my bare home, and the company was better than a single picture of my mother.

I also partied less. My drinking went down significantly, and somehow, that was better. I had begun drinking to cope with my hate, but it became more of a burden than a help. The Fantastic Four had become my twelve-step program, and it was actually working.

My dreams became more prominent. Tessa still showed up with that glowing cube, a freaky, poetic voice, and prophetic-sounding advice. In real life, my best friend had begun a new set of paintings, the subjects a secret. She did tell me the title of the series was "Evolution," however.

All in all, my time in the Baxter Building had begun to change me. For better or worse, I still didn't know.

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><p><strong>Okay, next update is next week. Cross my heart and hope to die! Thanks for reading, R&amp;R, you know the drill.<strong>


	14. Revelations

**Okay, I lied. Couldn't help myself - I might just finish the story today! But on with the story!**

**Yay! More evil Victor!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen - Revelations<strong>

Nothing could stay calm for long, not with Johnny Storm on cooped up inside and a vengeance-seeking Victor on the loose.

The first bad thing happened a week after Reed's plan was announced. I was checking up on my feed of information when I got wind of a story that shocked me to the core. Ned, one of the main investors in Von Doom Industries, the instigator of everyone pulling out of Victor's business, had been found dead with a giant, gaping hole through his chest. A hole with evidence of electricity. The same evidence that had been found on the late Doctor Tohns.

I was seriously considering the idea that Victor was a serial killer when Tessa appeared in my room the next day, a canvas wrapped in newspaper in her hands. She looked shell-shocked, and wordlessly handed me the gift and walked out. I was about to open it when, of course, Ben roared like a wild beast.

Setting the canvas on my bed, I followed the sound to the living room, where Ben stood, remote in hand, with none other than Johnny Storm standing in the middle of an arena, wearing his suit. Emblazoned on the shoulder was a 4, for Fantastic Four. Everyone was cheering, and he was obviously basking in the glory of his fans.

"Oh, no he didn't," said Sue as she and Reed joined us around the TV.

"Oh yes he did! Flame boy never listens!" growled Ben, and for once, I had to agree with his anger.

"What did he do to his uniform?" asked the older Storm, her hands on her hips. Reed glanced down at his own suit, supporting the 4 as well, and I would have said something if it weren't for the woman interviewing Johnny.

"You've made history in Moto-X. Oh, honey, I've gotta ask you about this outfit."

"Yeah, it's sort of Armani meets astronaut," he said, looking straight at the camera as girls crowed around him, calling his name.

"So what are your superhero names?"

Grinning, Johnny answered. "They call me the 'Human Torch'. Ladies call me 'Torch'." The bystanders laughed and 'oohed'.

"What about the rest of the team?" questioned the woman.

A photo of Sue popped up on the big screen. "That's the Invisible Girl," said Johnny.

"Girl?" Sue asked the television, obviously offended.

"What about your leader, Reed Richards? I hear you call him Mr. Fantastic."

"Could have been worse," said Ben, nodding to his friend.

"I guess," he responded, shrugging.

"Is it true what they say about him, that he can expand any part of his anatomy?"

Everyone giggled, and Reed blushed. Johnny came back with, "Well, I've always found him a little limp." The scientist stared in shock at the TV as the onlookers gasped.

Then a picture of Ben came on the screen. "What is that? What do you call that thing?"

With a smile, Johnny replied, "That's it. The Thing." Ben seemed to stand up straighter, fuming. "Yeah, you think this is bad? You should have seen him before."

"Okay, now I'm gonna go kill him." The rock-man turned to walk away, but the interviewer had one last person to mention.

"And what about her? This is the girl who killed all the electric devices after your famous bridge rescue, right?"

A photo of me, taken right before my powers emerged, with my eyes crazy and my hands outstretched, appeared.

Johnny smiled at the camera. "That's Voltage. She's more of our... sidekick. She's not really part of the team."

"And what does she do?"

"Well, she's a bit of a... shocker. But that doesn't stop me." Judging by the reactions from the crowd, he didn't mean pranks.

I could feel the lights around me flicker. I was angry, very, very angry. When I got to Storm, he going to feel how much of a "shocker" I really was. Sue reached out to touch my shoulder, and I turned around to growl at her. She stumbled back a bit.

"Sorry, Susan. But I'm about to go kill your brother."

Then I took off.

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><p>After practically physically assaulting a taxi driver (his name was Mark Stewart), I got to the arena as Johnny emerged with his preening fans. When they saw me stalking up to him, many of them cheered and one man came up to slap my ass. Spinning around, I grabbed his arm and shocked him unconscious. As he sank to the ground, I stepped up to the playboy and slapped him across the face, shocking his entourage.<p>

"Hey, hey, hey. Voltage. Take it easy," he said, grabbing my wrist.

I curled my fingers around his throat. "Get the hell off me unless you want to be shocked so badly your grandchildren will feel it."

He smirked. "C'mon, Eve..." My response was shocking him so hard he was thrown a few feet back. "Ugh, I don't remember you being so violent."

I stepped up to him and placed my shoe on his chest. "Shut the hell up, Jonathon Storm! I am sick and tired of you and your stupid-ass remarks! You have no idea who you are messing with. I swear to God, I will kick your ass so hard that you won't be able to go out in public!" Pulling back, I crouched down and whispered in his ear. "You have no idea what I've been through, Storm. Decide to mess with me and my life again, I will personally make sure that you will never get a girl, never get a job, and never have any money. I will sic the FBI on you if I have to. Just stay the hell away from me from now on."

I stood up, and walked away, purposely avoiding the rest of the "Fantastic Four".

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><p>I returned to the Baxter Building before I realized I had meant to go home. Sighing, I walked up the stairs slowly, and passing through the living room, noticed the TV was still on. It was covering my attack on Johnny, and the subsequent fight between him and "the Thing".<p>

Turning it off, I went into the kitchen and indulged. When I had eaten my full, I sprawled myself on the couch and promptly fell asleep.

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><p><em>For once, it was bright. I was in a cemetery. A familiar cemetery. Turning around, I saw my mother's grave, a plain stone with just her name.<em>

_"She left you with _him._ Why do you still love her?" a voice asked. Spinning around, I spotted not-Tessa standing behind me. "Should you not hate her for leaving you to suffer?"_

_I looked back at her grave. "I used to," I admitted, running my hand down the cool stone. "But then I found out she never knew about what he really did. She had truly believed him, until the end. I can't hate her, because she loved me. She really thought she was doing the right thing, letting him 'help' me."_

_"I do not understand. This Earthly love you shared... why do you not have it anymore?"_

_I shrugged. "Her death changed me. _He _changed me. I lost a lot, so I decided that, to protect myself from loss, I would never form bonds. I shouldn't have become friends with Tess, but I did. He was long gone, and I had a moment of weakness. Jessica too, I guess, although I never really bonded with her. A few doctors tried to diagnose me. I was paranoid, I had PTSD, I needed help. I never got it."_

_"But you are changing again. Forming bonds."_

_I looked at her, surprised. "No, I'm not."_

_"You already think of the Four as your family. Just as it should be."_

_"What's that supposed to mean?"_

_The blue cube materialized in Tessa's hands. "You are almost ready. Soon, it will come to you. First, you must find yourself a place in this world. There will be an offer in your future, one you cannot refuse. Take it, and find your path at last."_

_The cube expanded, engulfing us both._

I woke up.

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><p>The dream ended with a strange beeping. I turned to find my computer shouting at me, an alert popping up on the screen. The closest Von Doom weapons manufacturing plant had been broken into only a few hours ago, the guards killed like Ned. Several things were thought to have been stolen, though nothing was confirmed.<p>

I bolted upright, closing my laptop and running to my room. I stuffed it in my bag, along with my phone and, after a second of thought, the small canvas Tessa had given me. Then I ran, down the stairs and onto the street, hailing a cab.

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><p><strong>This chapter turned out way darker than I originally wanted it to be. You can see the dangerous Eve coming out! If you squint and turn it upside down, you might see her paranoia going away. )<strong>

**Hmm... wonder what's going on with the cube & dream Tessa?**

**SPOILER ALERT - you don't find out until later stories. sorry kids.**


	15. Explanations

**Okay, okay, here's more Eve. We're getting to the end of the story... :( But - evil Victor time! Ass-kicking! Monologuing! Also, we see Eve starting to become her badass, "Lisbeth Salander" self. :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen - Explanations<strong>

I arrived at the weapons warehouse in record time. Leaping out of Darlene's taxi, I thrust a twenty at her and sped down to the entrance. The police surrounded the doors, covering them with crime scene tape and were interviewing the survivors - those who had been in other buildings. Slipping on my hoodie and pulling up the hood, I slid past an officer and brushed my fingers against his walkie-talkie, discharging a shock. The people around me clutched their ears as all the radios let out a shriek, giving me ample time to slip through the door and into the building.

Stepping lightly around the cadavers on the ground, I spotted a pair of black boots behind one of the many shelves. Ducking down so as not to be seen, I crawled behind a stack of boxes, and not a moment too soon. Quickly, a second set of boots stepped past and joined the first. A female voice spoke.

"So he gained powers as well."

The other woman answered in a familiar voice, "Sources say he has powers similar to Reyes'"

Blinking, I pressed my hands together, looking at them. "But they are different?"

"Yes. His body is mutating into some sort of metallic alloy. Indestructible, if the data is correct."

"Like vibranium or adamantium?"

"Yes, but we don't have a name for it. It's brand new, so they'll probably name it something stupid again."

"How else do they differ?"

The second voice sighed, and the boots shifted. "He has less power, can contain less. His electricity is more concentrated, like a beam, and he doesn't need to touch something to discharge. Its like, she's a battery and he's an outlet."

"So he has the potential to be a serious threat."

"That's what the intel is saying."

The first woman sighed. "Do we leave it to the Four or send in a team?"

"Director Fury says to wait and see if the Four can handle it. We don't want to be exposed like this, especially since we were both undercover in Von Doom Industries. You know how these scientists get when confronted by the press."

Another sigh. "Alright. Keep monitoring them, Agent Levin, and don't get caught. I don't want to have to rescue you."

The second woman chuckled, walking away. "Same for you, Romanoff."

When both women had left, I slid out of my hiding position and stood, shaking. My phone rang, making me jump. Fumbling to find it, I stood in shock. Although I had suspected it, I hadn't really thought about the whole thing. Victor was a murderer with superpowers. Superpowers like mine.

Opening my phone, I put it against my ear, then subsequently dropped it at the sound of my boss' voice. "Evonna! Evonna!"

"Yes," I managed to say, breathing deeply to calm my jumpiness.

"Come to my office. Now. Oh, and bring your laptop, will you?"

He hung up, and I took a deep breath. Then, slowly, I picked up my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and walked towards the back door.

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><p>Victor's office at night was way more terrifying than I thought it would be. It might have been the fact that Reed was currently being strapped to a chair and hooked up to a hyper-cooling unit, though. The second he saw me, he tried to cry out, but his mouth just flopped open. He resembled something of a dead fish.<p>

Turning around, my boss revealed his face to be covered by his creepy, metal, Latvian mask. He grinned. "Ah, Evonna, nice of you to join us. Why don't you take a seat, and I'll explain everything."

Somehow, I was calm. "I would rather stand."

He laughed, but was cut short by Reed flopping forwards, unconscious. "Ugh, this freak has been passing out on me all night."

"I'm not sure Sue would appreciate you two sleeping together," was my response.

"Ha, ha, ha. Always the sarcastic one, aren't you Evonna? Or, should I say, _Voltage_. I hear you and the Freaktastic Four are friends now. Is that true?"

I answered honestly. "I can't stand them."

Victor's smile was terrifying. "That's what I thought. You feed off chaos, don't you? Always want to be the one to ruin others. That's why I like you. You and I, we are much more alike than you think." To demonstrate, he stepped away from his slowly-freezing rival and placed his hand near the light socket. In response, electricity leaped to his metal fingers as they curled into a fist.

I could feel sparks leap from my own fingers, dancing up my arms. I clenched my fists. "No, we aren't."

"Yes we are. But you are weaker, like always. You need a superior, someone to tell you what to do. It's in your nature." Victor's fist flew forwards, letting loose a bolt of electricity, slamming into me and knocking me over. "Too bad that genius brain of yours is not smart enough to join me."

Before I could move, his metal hand connected with my head.

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><p>"Rise and shine, my perfect little battery..," called Victor's voice. I opened my eyes to find that I was strapped to the wall of an empty lab, wires taped to my hands. A screen sat in front of me, Victor's office projected onto it. "Ah, there you go. How about you let loose one of your helpful zaps to help me out here?" He waved his hand at me, a wire attached to it as well. "Because if you don't, then your lovely friend, Miss Lowell, will have to pay the price."<p>

"Get off me you piece of shit!" growled the blonde as she struggled with her bonds. She sat next to our boss, black boots tied together as well.

"Oh, actually, hold that thought. Looks like our last guest is waking up." The second Victor turned his back and strode over to Reed, whose eyes were opening as they frosted over, Jess' eyes hardened and she stopped struggling in vain.

"Hold on," she mouthed, lifting her legs up and around so that she was sitting on them. I could see her pull something out of those familiar boots, and begin to work on the cords around her wrists. Victor began to speak to Reed, spouting out some villain monologue where he mentioned something about "chemistry 101". Jessica's hands sprang apart, a blade glinting in one, and she quickly began on her feet.

Then Victor turned back around and Jess was back to looking terrified and tied up. He hefted up a heat-seeking missile, aimed towards the Baxter building, and fired. I screamed as darkness grabbed me.

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><p><em>The blue cube from my dreams burst through the wall, smashing into my chest. The bonds clicked off, dropping me to the ground. I stood and turned to see not-Tessa grinning at me, her eyes glowing blue. "Look at the painting. Escape, and save the world."<em>

_Then the darkness grabbed me again._

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><p><strong>Okay, so four things -<strong>

**1) I know this one is kinda weird with timing and just weird in general but whatever...**

**2) Yes, Black Widow just had a cameo. Wonder what that means...**

**3) I was too lazy to put in dialogue from the movie, so all of this is original.**

**4) Two more chapters and an epilogue to go! :(**

**Go ahead, send me your guesses on what the heck is going on with Natasha, the blue cube, Tessa, the freaky dreams, why the hell Eve just passed out there, Jessica's spy-like stuff, and anything else.**

**REVIEW I DARE YOU!**

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	16. Voltage

**TIME FOR THE BATTLLLLLLE!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen - Voltage<strong>

I woke up a few minutes later to see Jessica missing from Victor's office and said villain still holding the missile launcher. My random nap had me miss the attack on Johnny, but had given me the inspiration to escape. Looking down, I saw the control panel for the bonds had wires running right past my hands. Arching my back, I managed to press my finger against the wire and surged, shorting out the clamps. I dropped to the ground, like in my dream, to see the door open and Leonard standing in the hall, Jessica behind him with a gun in her hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked, running to my side. I stood and watched Leonard scurry away.

"Peachy," I replied, detaching the wires. "Where'd you get the gun?"

"Found it," was her reply.

I shrugged. "Whatever." Turning back to the screen, I saw the room had gone dark. "I'm going back up there. Why don't you catch the sewer rat," I said, referring to Leonard.

Jess grinned. "My pleasure." As she took off down the hall to the stairs, I raced to the office.

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><p>Reed was nearly defrosted when I arrived, and Sue was helping him stand. "Hey! Love-birds! Where'd Victor go?" I called, startling them.<p>

"Eve! Where have you been?" asked Sue, staring at me.

"Doesn't matter. I just need to find that son of a bitch and teach him not to mess with me." I strode across the room and to the gaping hole in the windows. "I'm going to assume Ben was here, judging by the hole. He tends to do that." Then I spotted the chaos below. "Oh, found him."

Reed's vocal chords returned to him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

I had grabbed my bag, which was splayed on the ground, and was pulling out the canvas Tess had given to me. Unwrapping it, I was presented with a portrait of me and metal-Victor, squaring off on the street. I was wearing a torn, black suit and was surrounded by lighting strikes coming from my ex-boss' hands. Two blue forms, a bright red one, and a large orange one stood behind me, blurred out of view.

My eyes were glowing blue.

I dropped the painting back in my bag and turned to face my friends. They were my friends now, that much I knew. "I'm going to go kick some metal ass. You in?" Sue and Reed looked at each other, stunned speechless by the fact I was taking control.

"Yes," said Sue, quickly echoed by the doctor.

I grinned, and I felt my hands spark with anticipation. "Good. Then lets go."

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><p>The street was wrecked when we got there. Ben and Victor stared each other down, then the rock-man ran towards his enemy. Reed lurched forwards to help his friend, but I grabbed his collar and pulled him back. "Not yet," I growled, stepping closer to the action.<p>

Victor hit Ben with a metal pole like a baseball, sending him flying into the asphalt, forming a crater. He flipped the pole in his hands as he approached the Thing, chuckling. "Good-bye, Ben," he said, rearing back for the final blow.

Reed broke free of me and stepped into sight. "I can't let you do that," he said, strength in his voice. Victor paused at the sound of his rival.

"Reed?" He turned and laughed. "I'll be right with you." He thrust down with the pole as Sue joined Reed, protecting Ben with a force field. Frustrated, Victor passed the lance to his other hand and span around to see the blonde. "Hello, Susan." She stood in a protective stance, glaring at him. I stuck to the shadows and watched, waiting. I could see the star moving closer. "You three, are pathetic," he said, stepping forwards. His advance was stopped by a fireball, hurled from the sky. As the villain fought to regain his balance, Johnny landed next to his sister and turned off the flames.

Victor inspected his burnt cloak and looked up at the younger Storm, ignoring the bystanders' screams. "You missed me," said the playboy, smirking. Ben stood, grumbling, and joined the rest of his team, while Reed looked proud. "Had a little relapse, huh?" asked Johnny, to which Ben glared. "Welcome back."

"This is going to be fun," said Victor, standing up straight.

"Oh, I don't think so!" I called. Victor and the Four span to look at me, standing by myself to the side. "You see, there is something about me none of you realize. I don't like being threatened. At all." I strode towards Victor, electricity leaping between us. "I've had enough people trying to kill me in my lifetime already, thank you." I stood in front of the metal man, looking into his eyes.

"So why don't you fuck off," I growled, pressing my hand to Victor's chest.

The energy surge that passed through me knocked me back a few feet and partly behind a mangled car. Victor threw out his hands, groaning, as bolts of electricity burst from surrounding technology and to Doctor Doom. I also opened my hands, hissing in pain as I absorbed as much as I could. Through hazy vision, I saw some bolts hit the team, and Sue trying to contain the debris flying around. Reaching out with both hands, I closed my eyes and envisioned myself reeling in the bolts, sucking them into my fingers and through my body. I shook with the amount of power I was trying to contain in one session, and felt my body spasm.

The surging stopped, and I opened my eyes to see Victor being assaulted by Reed, stretched out. He and Johnny exchanged words, but my ears were ringing. I struggled to stay awake, and staggered to my hands and knees, coughing out sparks. The Human Torch lit up and began to fly around Victor, and Reed's plan became clear. Sue began to contain the fire with her force fields, at least until the strain began to get to much for the siblings. They both fell.

Victor appeared, white with heat. Ben tore the top off a fire hydrant and aimed the water at Reed, who stretched to direct it at his rival. The steam filled the air.

I seized again, crying out from the pain and collapsing. Static flew from my fingers. As the crowd cheered, I knew Victor had been defeated, but I was quickly loosing consciousness. Then a face burst through the haze. Tessa grinned down at me, then pulled me up into a sitting position. Behind her were two men - the bald one in a wheelchair and the scruffy one smoking a cigar. She opened her bag and dumped out a pile of food. Rooting though it, she found a bag of bread and handed it to me.

"Eat, stupid!" she commanded. With numb fingers, I devoured the bread and moved on to the rest of the food, ignoring the scruffy man's snort. Tessa rubbed my back and collected the empty packages.

When I had finished, I looked at my best friend. "You are an awful artist," I said, hitting her on the shoulder.

"And you are a terrible superhero," she said, returning the favor.

"I'm afraid we must leave, dear. Logan, would you please?" The bald man smiled at me, then wheeled towards the black car as the other man slid inside and started it up.

Tess grinned at me again. "So, you just helped the Fantastic Four save the world. Send me a postcard from the base, won't you?" Then she stood and joined the two in the car and drove off, but not before yelling, "Sweet dreams!".

Although I thought I knew what she meant, she still didn't make any sense.

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><p><strong>Okay, did anyone spot the cameo? Who was it? o.O the world may never know.<strong>

**OH GAWD, ALL THE SECRETS ARE COMING TO LIGHT! ALL THE SECRETS AND HINTS I'VE BEEN WEAVING THROUGH THE STORY ARE GOING TO BE UNRAVELED SOON, IF NOT IN THIS STORY THEN IN THE NEXT!**

**:( This makes me sad. Tessa's not coming back until much, much later. :(**

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! THE STORY IS ALMOST AT THE CLOSE!**


	17. The Closing

**Chapter Seventeen - The Closing**

The party was small for Johnny, but he got by because of the girls he had invited. I didn't even want to go, but the fact that it was also a secret engagement party meant I was required. I _had_ been the one to suggest Reed propose with a metal "gasket". So there I was, standing at the bar on a boat, watching the Human Torch flirt with a bunch of girls, Reed and Ben talk, and Alicia, Ben's blind girlfriend, and Sue get drinks together.

I had learned the rest of the story of the night of the battle in chunks from the Four, but finally pieced together the entire story. I also managed to rope Leonard into getting rid of Victor-the-statue, with the help of Jess, who was also sick of the sewer rat. With Victor being shipped back to Latvia, the Industry was being repossessed, but most of the employees were seeking work elsewhere. Me? I was unemployed, but I was fine with it. I had also begun to move out of the Baxter Building (after convincing Reed and Sue that I was fine with living under my own roof and away from the chaos they lived in) and back into my apartment.

I was ready to find myself, for once.

Tessa was gone, and not even Daddy Marshall, her father, knew where she had gone. I wasn't worried - the psycho could handle herself, and she obviously had some powerful allies. Jess was gone too, but had promised to return. My old life was gone and my new life was just beginning.

But for the moment, I was stuck on the boat with some enticing alcohol nearby. I had quit drinking after the battle, probably because of the amount of puking that went on when we returned to the building to recover, and now I was desperately trying to stay sober. I almost gave in when I spotted some expensive brandy being passed around, but then I saw Reed lead his soon-to-be fiancé out to the empty deck. So I snatched a water bottle out of some poor man's hand and pushed through the crowd. Somebody had to keep an eye on things.

I leaned against the railing, watching as Reed got it right for once, and shook my head. Johnny spotted me and wiggled his eyebrows, and I rolled my eyes at him. He drew a heart in the air, then pointed at me. I flipped him the bird, and he put a hand to his chest, maiming hurt. As he and Ben interacted, I turned to look over the water. For a second, I thought I saw something blue flashing underneath, but then the Storm boy shouted, "Clear the way, wide load coming through!"

I looked behind me to see him fleeing the Thing, who was a second away from punching him off the boat. He flamed up, flying into the air, and left a blazing four in the sky as people cheered and drunkenly laughed. The rock monster grumbled, the torch flew around the ship a few times, then landed in front of me. Several people clapped, and I reached out and flicked his arm, giving him a quick shock.

As everyone laughed, I found myself smiling.

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><p><strong>Okay, okay, I know, I'm a terrible person. You have my permission to throw me off something tall.<strong>

**I've just been procrastinating. A lot. Sorry. *winces***

**But I'm done now ~**


	18. Epilogue

***sobs* Eve's first story is ending! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! My baby has grown up!**

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

**After the party...**

I returned to my apartment, dropping my bag of belongings on the ground. I hadn't been home since the mission, when everything started. Last time I had been there, I was a whole different person. Now I had friends. I didn't drink, I had no job, and I had superpowers.

The only difference between the apartment I left and the apartment I entered was that when I left, there was a girl inside. This time, there was a man. He was tall, his dark skin cloaked with a black trench coat. His left eye was covered by an eyepatch. On my couch sat two women, one of which was familiar.

"I guess I should probably offer you guys some drinks, but that's the polite thing to do, and it's not very polite to break into someone's home." I stepped closer to Jessica, crossing my arms.

"Sorry, Eve," she said, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry? How many times did I tell you the government was watching me? I guess I was right."

"It was under my orders that Agent Levin acted," said the man.

"And who are you, exactly?"

He smiled. "I'm sure you already know. A lot more goes on in that brain of yours than you are willing to admit."

I grinned back. "You're right, Director Fury." I turned back to my friend. "I've known you weren't really Jessica Lowell for a while, ever since the night of the battle. You and she," I said, pointing at the redhead next to her, "were talking in the warehouse. Your real name is Jennifer, right?" She looked surprised, and turned to her companion. "And you're Natasha."

"We've known about you for a while as well, Miss Reyes," said Fury, putting his hands behind his back.

"I knew that a long time ago. I like to keep track of the people who know me. My question is, why are you here? Why now?"

"You could be an incredible asset to SHIELD," piped in Natasha.

"We just had to make sure you are trustworthy with sensitive information," said Jennifer.

I looked at the photo of my mother, hanging above the refrigerator. I saw the symbol, hidden in the background, and sighed, just like every other time.

"What do you want from me?" I asked Fury, anticipating the answer.

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

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><p><strong>AND THAT CONCLUDES <em>Striking<em>! :(**

**Keep following this story for info on the sequel. I'll post an author's note about it (eventually).**


	19. Author's Note

Hi, dears.

So, because _Striking_ is over, I suppose I should tell you about what's going to happen next.

To the Guest commenter: I completely agree with you here. I am not entirely satisfied with this story, mostly because I was writing to finish. I really feel like I could have done better, which is what brings me to my next point:

Along with writing the sequel (I'll get to that in a sec), I will be doing a rewrite of this story. This basically means, new scenes and more character development. The chapters will just be extended, not necessarily changed. Maybe I'll even add "bonus scenes", or scenes I saw in my head a long time ago but didn't really work with the storyline. Fluff and shit.

Next, the sequel. _Shocking_ will be set during Thor, with Eve as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent sent in undercover with Coulson. While Phil does all the legal stuff, Eve will be doing the snooping. I already have part of the story sketched out, and I'll try to finish it quickly and start posting chapters around the same time as I rewrite this one. Check my profile or the Thor section around mid-May to early-June for the beginning.

So, guys, any input helps. Ideas, recommendations, errors you've noticed, plot holes, anything is appreciated. I'd like to make this story, in the words of the Guest (really, thanks for your review, I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw the massive problem with my story), "great".

xox, Silence

(BTW, the dreams are seriously important. Eventually. The later ones are kinda crappy, so I'm going to fix those up in the rewrite.)


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